
fopghtN?. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



TRUE STORIES OF GREAT AMERICANS 



ROBERT FULTON 




•The 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

NEW YORK • BOSTON ■ CHICAGO • DALLAS 
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN & CO., Limited 

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THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd. 

TORONTO 




Robert Fulton. 
From a miniature owned by Mrs. R. Fulton Blight. 



ROBERT FULTON 



BY 



ALICE CRARY SUTCLIFFE 

GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER OF ROBERT FULTON 

AUTHOR OF "ROBERT FULTON AND THE CLERMONT" 

AND "THE HOMESTEAD OF A COLONIAL DAME " 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
i9 x 5 

All rights reserved 



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Copyright, 1915, 
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. 



Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 191 5. 



J. B. Cashing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 



-3,1915 

CI.A398262 



PREFACE 

On board the fine passenger boat, Robert Fulton, 
one of the several queen steamers of the Hudson 
River Day Line, on a May morning when the 
beauty of the incomparable river spread in calm 
perfection before contented eyes, a great-grand- 
daughter of Robert Fulton began to write, for 
young readers, this story of the steamboat in- 
ventor's life. 

No " Hero of America " may lay more just claim 
to the title than Robert Fulton, the fearless, per- 
sistent lad of Pennsylvania. His boyhood of stern 
self-denial, his struggle for culture and advanced 
education, and his constant industry place him in 
" the rank and file " of all students who may read 
this book with the desire to learn his secret of 
success. 

Fulton's story reveals it. He solved problems 
locked from the knowledge of man by a faithful 
use of the key of hard work. Born on a lonely 
farm in the country, deprived in early childhood 
of his father's loving care, he earned his own 



vi PREFACE 

living and carved his path to fame and fortune. 
Therefore his progress is typical of possible simi- 
lar achievements for all young Americans who 
wish to render good service to their country and 
to their fellow-men. 

In writing the story of a man whose work for 
the world has won fame, the seeker for historic 
fact must patiently piece together the threads 
gathered from many sources to weave the fabric 
of connected truth. 

For these facts concerning Robert Fulton's life 
I have searched during a period extending over 
several years. In presenting this volume I desire 
to acknowledge my indebtedness to the several 
biographers who, during the century since his 
death, have traced his eventful career: Cadwalla- 
der D. Colden (1817); J. Franklin Reigart (1856); 
Thomas W. Knox (1886); Robert H. Thurston 
(1891); Peyton F. Miller (1908); and, most valu- 
able because most recent and therefore most com- 
prehensive, H. W. Dickinson in " Robert Fulton, 
Engineer & Artist" (1913). Also am I indebted 
to the Historical Societies of Chicago, New York, 
and Pennsylvania ; the Library of Congress ; the 
Estate of Cornelia Livingston Crary; the Hon. 
Peter T. Barlow; Messrs. Louis S. Clark, New- 
bold Edgar, Charles Henry Hart, John Henry 
Livingston, Robert Fulton Ludlow, Mrs. Frank 



PREFACE vii 

Semple, and Mrs. George Montgomery, individ- 
ual owners of the inventor's original manuscripts 
and letters shown at the Robert Fulton Relic 
Exhibit, during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 
1909, gathered jointly by the New York Histor- 
ical Society and the Colonial Dames of America, 
of which latter organization the writer served as 
chairman of the Hudson-Fulton Committee. 

From this vast mass of data is the present 
modest volume built, — a tale retold for the boys 
and girls of America, whose lives, through the 
inspiration of famous men and women, may in 
future years provide records of equal worth for 
historians. 

ALICE CRARY SUTCLIFFE. 

New York City, 

November 7th, 1914. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

An Old-time Fourth of July i 

CHAPTER II 
Robert Fulton's Boyhood 10 

CHAPTER III 
Painting Portraits and Miniatures ... 20 

CHAPTER IV 
The Gift of a Farm 29 

CHAPTER V 
Studying Art in England 37 

CHAPTER VI 
From Art to Invention 48 

CHAPTER VII 
Achievements in Paris 62 

CHAPTER VIII 

Building the First Submarine 73 

ix 



t 



x CONTENTS 

CHAPTER IX 

PAGE 

Building the First Steamboat .... 84 

CHAPTER X 
In Holland and England 100 

CHAPTER XI 

Experiments with a Submarine . . . .107 

CHAPTER XII 
Some Early Steamboats . . . . .121 

CHAPTER XIII 
Building the Clermont 130 

CHAPTER XIV 
First Voyage of the Clermont . . . .138 

CHAPTER XV 
Steamboats and Submarines 155 

CHAPTER XVI 
Ferry-boats and River-boats . . . .172 

CHAPTER XVII 

Fulton's Home and Fulton's Honors . . .183 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Robert Fulton Frontispiece *-""" 

FACING PAGE 

Robert Fulton's Birthplace . . . . . 8 V 
The Building formerly occupied by Caleb John- 
son's School 34 

The Washwoman ; Fulton's earliest known 

DRAWING 54 

The Fulton Medal 134 Z 7 

The Wife and Two of the Children of Robert 

y 
Fulton 184 </ 



XI 



A child of Lancaster, upon this land 

Here was he born by Conowingo's shade ; 
Along these banks our youthful Fulton strayed 
Dreaming of Art. Then Science touched his hand. 

Leading him onward, when, beneath her wand, 
Wonders appeared that never more shall fade : 
He triumphed o'er the Winds and swiftly made 
The giant, Steam, subservient to command. 

How soft the sunlight lies upon the lea 

Around his home, where boyhood days were sped ! 

These checkered shadows on the fading grass 
Symbol his fortunes, as they fleeting pass : 

"He did mankind a service," — could there be 

A tribute more ennobling to the dead ! 

Lloyd Mieflin. 



ROBERT FULTON 

CHAPTER I 

An Old-time Fourth of July 

American Independence was young in 1778, 
— only two years old. The patriotism awakened 
by the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia was active as 
this second anniversary of our nation's birth ap- 
proached, and sturdy Pennsylvanians, glad of our 
country's freedom from English rule, planned a 
Fourth of July celebration. 

In Lancaster, less than seventy miles from Phila- 
delphia, the wise men of the town council foresaw 
waste and tumult if the young patriots carried out 
the programme they had arranged. Upon the first 
day of July the Council discussed the matter and 
passed this resolution, which they publicly posted : 

"The Excessive Heat of the Weather, the Present Scarcity 
of Candles, and Other Considerations, Induce the Council to 
Recommend to the Inhabitants to Forbear Illuminating the 
City on Saturday Evening Next, July 4th. 

" By Order, 

"Timothy Matlack, Secretary." 



2 ROBERT FULTON 

We can imagine the disappointment of the Lan- 
caster boys when they read this notice. Angry 
groups around the sign-board evinced their dis- 
pleasure, and some of the bolder ones declared 
that they would light their candles anyway! 

But one conscientious thirteen-year-old boy 
tried to think of some other method to show 
patriotism. As the town council forbade the use 
of candles, he would not disobey their law ; perhaps 
he could prepare a more novel celebration in honor 
of the holiday. 

He had some candles which he had saved for 
the event ; now they were of no use. He therefore 
took them to a brush-maker who kept powder 
and shot for sale, and offered to trade them for 
gunpowder. The brush-maker, surprised that 
the boy would part with his candles when they 
were so scarce, asked his reason. The lad re- 
plied : 

"Our rulers have asked the people not to 
illuminate their windows and streets. All good 
citizens should obey law, so I have decided 
instead to light the heavens with sky-rockets." 

The dealer, although amused, was glad to get 
the candles and promptly gave gunpowder in ex- 
change. Then the boy went to another store, 
where he bought several large sheets of cardboard. 



AN OLD-TIME FOURTH OF JULY 3 

The clerk was about to roll the sheets for easy 
handling, but his customer protested : 

"I wish to carry them as they are." 

The curiosity of this man also was aroused. 
He remembered that the lad was said to be 
" always trying to invent something." As he 
handed them over he asked : 

"What are you going to do with them?" 

Eagerly the boy answered: "We are forbidden 
to light our windows with candles. I'm going to 
shoot my candles through the air." 

"Tut I Tut!" exclaimed the man, laughingly. 
" That's an impossibility." 

"No, sir," the boy responded, with a flash of 
enthusiasm. "There is nothing impossible." 

This is a true story, told by an old-time 
Lancaster historian. The thirteen-year-old boy 
was Robert Fulton, who became the inventor of 
steam navigation. 

It is good to carry the story further in imagina- 
tion. That group of boys who gathered in the town 
during the twilight of Independence Day, 1778, saw 
a few spluttering rockets shoot skyward from the 
hand of a lad determined to carry the good news 
of freedom to a higher horizon than that of the 
home windows of Lancaster. A flash ! A whirr ! 
and the light arose, zigzagged its message through 



4 ROBERT FULTON 

the darkness, like fiery handwriting in the sky, and 
then died away. But the fine courage and courtesy 
of the boy who would not disobey a local law, 
although he felt a national appeal to patriotic 
jubilee, — these tokens of character have not 
faded. They prophesied the boy's success in life. 
He foretold it in his words, "Nothing is impossible." 

Robert Fulton's father was one of three brothers, 
David, John, and Robert. They were of Scotch 
origin, and came to America from Kilkenny, Ireland, 
about 1730. Robert, the youngest, settled in 
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where in 1759 he married 
Miss Mary Smith, daughter of Joseph Smith of 
Oxford Township, and bought for their first home 
a brick dwelling on the northeast corner of Penn 
Square, in the center of the town. In this house 
they lived until 1764. They took an active interest 
in local affairs, for Robert Fulton belonged to 
every organization then formed ; to be sure, there 
were only three, for the town was small. He was 
secretary of the Union Fire Company, a charter 
member of the Juliana Library, and a founder of 
the Presbyterian Church. 

It is pleasant to think of the young couple set- 
tling their new home on Penn Square (where not 
many years before the Indians had a colony), near 
a spring of clear water under a giant hickory tree. 



AN OLD-TIME FOURTH OF JULY 5 

It was on this very spot that the chieftains of 
" Hickory Tribe," as they termed themselves, met 
to confer with William Penn, the wise and kindly 
Quaker. 

Governor Thomas Pownall visited Lancaster 
in 1754 and wrote that it was " a pretty and con- 
siderable town, increasing fast and growing rich." 
So we can be certain that when Robert Fulton's 
parents established a home of their own on Penn 
Square, they felt they had a bright future before 
them. 

Two little daughters, Elizabeth and Isabella, 
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fulton while they lived 
in this house and were among the first children to 
be christened in the new church. Mr. Fulton had 
a strong voice and was chosen to "lead the psalm" 
in the old Court House, where services were held 
until the church could be built. He sang the 
opening words of each division of the psalm and the 
congregation joined in unison for the later words. 

In 1763 Mr. Fulton signed the charter for the 
town library, the third to be established in the 
American colonies. Thomas and William Penn, 
Esquires of the Province, drafted the papers and 
named the library "Juliana" after Thomas Penn's 
wife. He was a son of the famous old William 
Penn, who had conferred with the Hickory Indians, 



6 ROBERT FULTON 

and for whom the state of Pennsylvania had been 
named. 

The new church, the Juliana Library, and the 
Union Fire Company, together with his business, 
kept Robert Fulton well occupied, but they yielded 
friendly comradeship and varied interests. In 1765 
Mr. Fulton sold his Lancaster home and moved his 
family to a farm of more than three hundred acres 
on Conowingo Creek, in Little Britain Township, 
which he had purchased the preceding November. 
It lay sixty-five miles from Philadelphia, but not 
many from Lancaster, so they were not far from 
their friends, though they had to give up active 
work in the town. 

The plastered stone farm-house to which the 
Fulton family moved is still standing by the coun- 
try cross-roads. A wide sloping roof shelters the 
two-story building and overhangs a porch at the 
eastern end. There the ground slopes to the valley 
where the Conowingo Creek, a picturesque stream, 
flows on its quiet way to join the Susquehanna 
River. It is a place of great beauty and may well 
have proved attractive to early settlers. The low- 
ceiled parlors remain as they were during Mr. and 
Mrs. Fulton's occupancy, and the upper bedrooms 
show broad window sills of great age. The fire- 
place of the old-time kitchen also is unchanged, the 



AN OLD-TIME FOURTH OF JULY 7 

sturdy crane swinging in the sooty shadows where 
Mrs. Fulton hung her kettle to boil, in those distant 
days of pioneer life. Joseph Swift, of Philadelphia, 
wrote in after years that his grandmother "well 
remembered in her youth the preparations which a 
visit to Aunt Fulton required in the way of baking, 
boiling and roasting, and in getting ready the camp 
equipage which the journey through the wilderness 
required. It was only less formidable than a 
journey across the Atlantic." 

It was in this quiet farm-house l that Robert 
Fulton, the inventor, was born on the 14th day of 
November, 1765. He was the first son and there 
was great rejoicing at his birth. During the cold 
winter days he slept by the open fireside while his 
mother attended to her household tasks and cared 
for the little daughters, — Peggy and Belle, as 
they were called, — who toddled about the baby 
brother's cradle. When the springtime threw its 
mantle of green over the fresh country-side, Robert 
laughed and grew strong in the clear country air. 

Possibly farming did not pay, for during the 
succeeding year Mr. and Mrs. Fulton mortgaged the 
property to Joseph Swift and two others, arranging 

1 In 1909, a bronze tablet, commemorative of Fulton's birth, 
presented by the Lancaster County Historical Society, was un- 
veiled at the entrance door, by the writer. 



8 ROBERT FULTON 

payments to be made during five years. When 
Robert Fulton finally moved his family back to 
Lancaster, Joseph Swift came to live in the house, 
now pleasantly shaded by a tall button-wood tree. 
This tree is said to have grown from a riding-whip 
which Joseph Swift's daughter, Esther, stuck into 
the ground one day as she dismounted from her 
favorite pony. 

Although the Fulton family lived but a short 
time upon these farm lands, it gave a sufficient 
reason for a change of name in the township, for 
when Little Britain was resurveyed in 1844 the 
section containing the farm was entitled " Fulton 
Township," in honor of the baby boy who first 
saw the light under that sloping roof, on the bleak 
November day in 1765. 

In selecting land near Conowingo Creek, the 
elder Robert Fulton realized — as his son came to 
realize in later years — the importance of water- 
courses and turnpike advantages. He continued 
upon the farm till 1771, when it was advertised 
for sale as "the place where Robert Fulton lives." 
But he died early in the autumn of 1774, and his 
widow, with scanty means, took up the task of 
rearing their five children, for a daughter, Mary, and 
a second son, Abraham Smith Fulton, had been 
born since 1765. 




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AN OLD-TIME FOURTH OF JULY 9 

Robert Fulton, the older son, was then nine 
years old, a bright, active boy, eager for all sorts of 
fun. An uncle, his father's brother, took him to his 
home for a time, but Robert was unhappy away 
from his mother and returned to her. He early 
learned to carve his fortune from the hard rock of 
adversity. 



CHAPTER II 
Robert Fulton's Boyhood 

So many anecdotes have been told about Robert 
Fulton's boyhood that they will fill a whole chapter. 
It is an inspiration to boys and girls, who dream of 
fame through splendid future action, to realize 
that a hero usually begins life by a normal childhood, 
striving to do well the trivial tasks. Daily duties 
well done form character, and only character creates 
worth. 

Robert Fulton studied at home, under his 
parents' teaching, until he was eight years old. 
By this time the family had returned to Lancaster, 
and Robert was considered old enough to attend 
the school kept by one Caleb Johnson, a Quaker. 

He had learned to read and write and was eager 
for school. We can fancy the scene of his entrance 
to the class-room, his dark eyes bright with excite- 
ment, his curls brushed to parted order, as he en- 
countered for the first time the austere school- 
master, an impressive personage in that day. He 
was guarded on either side by his fond elder sisters, 

IO 



ROBERT FULTON'S BOYHOOD n 

Peggy and Belle, but their care could not protect 
him later from the tutoring birch, when Caleb 
Johnson discovered, as he thought, that Robert 
was "a dull boy." The younger sister, Mary, — 
or Polly, as she was called, — and the baby brother, 
Abraham, were at home eager to hear Robert's 
description of school life. 

But after all, Robert seems not to have cared 
very greatly for his books. His delight lay in 
visiting the machine-shops of the town, where he 
spent all his spare time in trying to make things he 
needed or wanted. One day he explained his 
late arrival at school by saying that he had been at 
Nicholas Miller's shop making a lead-pencil — "the 
best I ever had," he declared. He had pounded 
out the lead and fitted it so neatly into a wooden 
case that Caleb Johnson admitted it was indeed an 
excellent pencil. Within a few days, — so eager 
are children to follow a leader, — all the boys had 
made for themselves, with more or less success, 
pencils like Robert's. 

Sometimes his plans for making things so filled 
his thoughts that he dreamed over his books and 
was unprepared for recitation ; then Caleb Johnson, 
after the stern fashion of those days, called him to 
the desk and bade him hold forth his hand for a 
whipping by the ferule. Once, when the teacher 



12 ROBERT FULTON 

thought him particularly idle, he struck Robert 
sharply over the knuckles, saying, "There, that 
will make you do something!" The boy, roused 
by a sense of injustice, replied with politeness yet 
with reproof : 

"Sir, I came here to have something beaten into 
my brains, and not into my knuckles." With head 
held high and arms folded, he walked back to his 
place, seeming even to Caleb Johnson, at the time, 
"a strange boy." When Robert's mother called at 
the school to talk over her son's progress — for she 
was worried at his giving so little attention to his 
books — the master replied, 

"Robert says his head is so full of original ideas 
that there is no room in his brain to store away the 
contents of dusty books." 

He was beginning to consider life's problems and 
he dared to try to solve them by ways of his own. 
He was never really idle, for two absorbing interests 
claimed attention, — the study of machinery and 
the study of art. 

For it was not very long before that lead-pencil, 
pounded with such care at Nicholas Miller's store, 
began to reveal Robert's talent for drawing. He 
sketched parts of machinery in the various shops 
of the village and made himself so useful to the 
mechanics that they welcomed his visits. Then, 



ROBERT FULTON'S BOYHOOD 13 

as Robert realized the beauties in nature, his black 
pencil seemed to disappoint him. He could find 
no paints or crayons at the shops, and it was not 
until a playfellow brought a box of paints to school 
that Robert realized the possibility of such an 
aid to making pictures. He pleaded with his friend 
for a share that he might try his hand at mixing 
colors, so it was agreed that each boy should paint 
a picture on a mussel shell. The result proved 
Robert so excellent an artist that his generous 
schoolmate, whose talents lay in another direction, 
presented Robert with the entire outfit. His 
delight knew no bounds, and thereafter he never 
was at a loss for occupation. 

Like many another famous man, it should be 
noted that Fulton did not enjoy the advantages of a 
liberal education in his youth. Beginning work 
at an early age, by the need of earning his living, 
he necessarily left his desk and books before he 
had mastered the higher branches of knowledge 
demanded by his later work. Still, he was deter- 
mined to acquire knowledge. Busy by day, he 
studied by night, and in time added higher mathe- 
matics, languages, chemistry and perspective draw- 
ing to his mental stores. In fact, Fulton was a 
student throughout his entire life. 

To-day his spelling seems to us distinctly original 



14 ROBERT FULTON 

and often amusing ; but let us remember that he 
lived in "the good old days" when that particular 
art was largely a matter of inspiration, instead of 
being governed, as it is to-day, by stern and un- 
breakable rules. 

The War of the Revolution was in progress dur- 
ing the days of Fulton's boyhood, and the town 
of Lancaster was the scene of many important 
acts. 

There had been many English settlers in Lan- 
caster, so it is not surprising that the town abounded 
in "Royalists," — sympathizers with the British 
Crown. 

The time and place were rife with excitement. 
Village boys shared the news, one with another, 
and followed every skirmish with active interest. 

In 1775, Major John Andre, with other British 
officers on their way to Quebec, was captured by 
General Montgomery and taken for safety to 
Lancaster. So crowded were the barracks that 
Andre, on his word as a gentleman, was allowed 
the following parole : 

"I, John Andre, being a prisoner in the United Colonies 
of America, do, upon the honor of a gentleman, promise 
that I will not go into or near any seaport town, nor further 
than six miles from Lancaster, without leave of the Con- 
tinental Congress of the Committee of Safety of Pennsyl- 



ROBERT FULTON'S BOYHOOD 15 

vania, and that I will carry on no political correspondence 
whatever on the subject of the dispute between Great 
Britain and the Colonies, so long as I remain a prisoner." 

A man named Caleb Cope received John Andre 
into his home and Andre tutored his son, John 
Cope, thirteen years old, and gave him lessons in 
art ; for Andre had a decided talent for the brush 
and loved to depict, from recollection, the scenes 
of his English home. One of these pictures, a 
landscape with a church and lodge among a bower 
of trees, Andre gave to Mr. Cope who treasured it 
in later years. He described Andre as "a gifted 
and deceived, but noble-hearted and generous, 
man." It is thought that John Cope was the boy 
who presented the painting outfit to Robert Fulton, 
so it is probable that, indirectly, Robert may have 
profited from Major Andre's instruction. 

Because of its political importance Lancaster 
was the local headquarters for supplies necessary 
to American troops, and rifles, blankets and cloth- 
ing were manufactured there. American soldiers 
patrolled the streets and had in charge the two 
thousand British prisoners at one time garrisoned 
there. 

The boys of Lancaster, in the late afternoons, 
gathered to view the novel scenes of the encamp- 
ment. After a time, growing braver, they chal- 



16 ROBERT FULTON 

lenged "the rebels,' ' as they termed the Hessian 
boys, with the consequence that boyish battles 
began to take place between the " Tories" and the 
"Rebels." A rope, stretched across the street, 
denned a limit which none dared to pass. 

Robert Fulton's imagination was lively and 
carried him beyond bounds. One day he made a 
graphic sketch of the scene, depicting the "Rebels" 
advancing beyond the line to threaten a thrashing 
to the "Tories." He showed the picture to the 
boys and it had the unfortunate result of inspiring 
them to the very action portrayed. The town 
authorities, hearing of the skirmish, feared that the 
boys were carrying their fun too far and put a 
hasty stop to these martial games. 

Through these stirring days Robert Fulton was 
daily learning the excellent lessons of self-reliance 
and self-support. He learned, as we all should, in 
school and out of school. The Continental authori- 
ties employed certain firms to manufacture and 
repair arms. Guards at the doorways of factories 
forbade any interruption of the important work, 
which was pushed with speed, and none but em- 
ployees might enter. Workmen labored in relays, 
night and day ; even on Sunday the sound of the 
hammer and engine could be heard. 

Special permit was granted to young Robert 



ROBERT FULTON'S BOYHOOD 17 

Fulton to go within the shops, for by this time he 
was so good a draughtsman that his pencil could 
occasionally outline a suggestion of value, and his 
increasing knowledge of mechanics made him an 
apt pupil in the study of the tools of warfare. At 
this time he commenced to draw designs for fire- 
arms and as early as 1779 made himself an air-gun. 

A certain druggist sold Robert several packages 
of quicksilver, and these formed part of some 
mysterious experiments which Robert declined to 
describe to his curious friends. The workmen in 
the gun-shop tried in vain to compel him to ex- 
plain the use to which he put the silvery, elusive 
metal. So puzzled were they by his secret that 
they called him in fun "Quicksilver Bob," and by 
this name he was known for some time among the 
workmen of the shops and among his young com- 
rades. 

Robert accompanied the gunsmiths upon their 
testing tours of marksmanship on the open common, 
or village park ; he soon learned to prove calcula- 
tions of comparative carrying distances of varying 
sized bore and balls, by shooting at a mark and 
finding the relative distances and forces of carrying 
powers. 

Among the factory clerks was an intelligent 
youth, Christopher Gumpf , four years older than 



18 ROBERT FULTON 

Robert, who in 1779 became his intimate friend. 
The father was an enthusiastic fisherman and 
accompanied the boys upon many a fine excursion 
in his flatboat on Conestoga Creek. When it was 
not in use he padlocked his boat to a tree, but when 
off on holiday trips he would ask the boys to pole 
the boat to certain shady fishing-grounds. 

Robert became weary of the hard work of poling 
the heavy boat for long distances. During a visit 
of a week at his aunt's home in Little Britain, he 
planned and made a small model of a boat to be 
propelled by side paddles. It was too large to 
carry home, so Robert placed the model in his aunt's 
attic and asked her to keep it for him. Many 
years after, when Robert's first steamboat had 
become famous, that model was brought down from 
the attic and proudly placed in the aunt's parlor 
as the most valued treasure of the house. 

When he returned to Lancaster Fulton told 
Christopher Gumpf about his plan, and together 
they made a set of paddles, propelled by a double 
crank action, to move the fishing-boat. Two 
lengths of timber, with a blade at each end, were 
fastened at right angles to the boat : a crank at the 
stern turned the blades, while a third paddle, as a 
rudder, revolved on a pivot to steer the course. 
The invention worked well and the delighted boys 



ROBERT FULTON'S BOYHOOD 19 

abandoned the work of poling. The paddles were 
removable from the boat, and, when not in use, 
were hidden in thick bushes near the water. 

So it was on the Conestoga Creek, with only two 
witnesses who little dreamed what the contrivance 
would lead to, that Robert Fulton, the fourteen- 
year-old boy, began to plan a solution to the prob- 
lem of navigation. 



CHAPTER III 

Painting Portraits and Miniatures 

There comes in every boy's life a day of great 
decision ; it is when school days are over, and the 
boy, face to face with the toiling world, decides by 
which branch of industry he shall perform his share 
of the world's work to earn his living. Such a day 
came to Robert Fulton and he had prepared him- 
self for it. 

His mother's early lessons, the sterner teaching of 
Caleb Johnson, the visits to the machine-shops, the 
constant sketching with pencil and crayon, — all 
had enriched his mind for this day of the choice of 
vocation. As he felt the call to a larger field of 
action than Lancaster afforded, it was natural that 
in seeking his fortune he should turn to the nearest 
big city, Philadelphia, noted as a center for the 
peaceful arts of the gentle Quaker folk, its founders. 

Robert Fulton was seventeen years old when he 
left Lancaster to take up his abode in Philadelphia. 
With war at an end, the country had entered upon 
the enjoyment of the welcome fruits of peace. 

20 



PAINTING PORTRAITS AND MINIATURES 21 

As we study the few facts known about Fulton 
during this period, it is easy to discover several 
important reasons which influenced him toward 
art as a career, and Philadelphia as a place of 
residence. 

Benjamin West, a native of Chester County, 
Pennsylvania, was at this time famous as a painter 
in London; he was a man whose success had 
brought special pride to Lancaster, for he had there 
begun his career as portrait painter. West's 
father, an intimate friend of Robert Fulton's 
father, allowed his son, at the early age of twelve, 
to visit Lancaster in order to paint the portraits of 
a certain Mrs. Ross and her children. He had been 
so successful that orders poured in, taxing his time 
and strength to fill them. Canvas could not be 
had, so he painted his pictures upon smooth boards. 
His genius had been shown when he was very 
young, for at the age of seven he sketched a correct 
likeness of his sister's child in the cradle. He had 
no colors to work with until a party of friendly 
Indians visited his home, and Benjamin, in boyish 
pride, showed them his pencil sketches. They 
generously gave him the colors they used to paint 
their faces and ornaments, hues extracted from the 
juices of berries and herbs. They also taught him 
to mix the paints to form new shades and combina- 



22 ROBERT FULTON 

tions. He had no brush, so he made one by taking 
from the tail of a cat some furry hairs which he 
pulled up through a goose-quill. We remember 
the adage, "A poor workman blames his tools." 
A good workman can manage to make tools from 
almost nothing, if he really wants to work. 

The fame of Benjamin West in London was a 
favorite topic of conversation in Lancaster. 
Robert Fulton had already been able to sell mechan- 
ical drawings to the shops and had painted tavern- 
signs, as had West, for local inns. What more 
natural than that Fulton, with like talent for art, 
should decide to adopt portrait-painting as his 
profession ? 

Mrs. Fulton's heart must have been very full as 
she bade her eldest son goodby and saw him mount 
the stage-coach for the journey to Philadelphia. 
He had some friends in the city, Lancaster people 
who had gone there for business or other reasons, 
for a large city always drains the adjacent villages 
of the enterprising folk who desire greater fields 
for action. 

Robert Fulton had a cheerful and happy nature 
and a real talent for making friends, so he soon 
added new acquaintances to his list, though he was 
always particular to choose his companions wisely. 

It was a brave venture for a country lad of seven- 



PAINTING PORTRAITS AND MINIATURES 23 

teen to attempt self-support by art in a great city, 
but he was eager to acquire every kind of knowl- 
edge, and applied himself earnestly to whatsoever 
his hand could find to do. He designed carriages 
and buildings; he made mechanical drawings for 
machine-shops ; he copied sketches in India ink ; 
he painted tavern-signs, and all the while, he studied 
the finer art of portrait and miniature painting, 
with the hope of making this alone his profession 
when time should grant him sufficient skill. 

An interesting example of Fulton's early art is 
a sketch in India ink of a French landscape, showing 
peasant women washing linen by the side of a 
stream. It is entitled "La Blanchiseuse" and 
signed "Robert Fulton, March 15, 1783," so it was 
made during his first year in Philadelphia. Prob- 
ably it was a copy of a French engraving in the 
Museum where Fulton took lessons when he could 
afford to employ a teacher. 

At that time Charles Wilson Peale was the fore- 
most artist in Philadelphia, and it is thought that 
Fulton availed himself of his instruction, — at any 
rate they were friends during later life. 

In 1785 the young Lancaster student was regis- 
tered in the city directory, "Robert Fulton, 
Miniature Painter, Cor. of 2d & Walnut Streets/' 
which indicates that he was launched in his pro- 



24 ROBERT FULTON 

fession. The following year he painted a portrait 
of his "Good Friend, Joseph Bringhurst," a Quaker 
patron. This portrait is labeled " Second portrait 
in oils/' which defines the time when Fulton began 
to paint large portraits, although prior to this date 
he had made many crayon portraits and miniatures. 
At that time Benjamin Franklin, about to go to 
France as American Ambassador, was the chief 
personage of Philadelphia. It was a fine feather in 
Fulton's cap when the great man showed him 
favor. Franklin admired Fulton's painstaking 
work and pleasant manner; it is said that he 
showed him unusual attention and introduced him 
to prominent men of the city. From this time 
Fulton's services as a portrait painter were steadily 
engaged and orders flowed in. In 1787 Benjamin 
Franklin himself sat for his portrait, and this, of 
course, greatly helped to set the fashion. Its 
astonishing adventures are thus described in the 
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography : 

A portrait of Ben. Franklin painted by Robert Fulton 
of steamboat celebrity. On the back of the canvas is 
written "R. Fulton, Pinxt, 1787." The history of this rare 
picture is distinctly traceable back thirty-three or thirty- 
four years, at which time it was sold at auction for twenty- 
five cents. For thirty years it hung without frame in the 
sitting room of a Rhode Island farmer. At another time 



PAINTING PORTRAITS AND MINIATURES 25 

it was used as a barrel cover in a farmer's garret, and still 
later ornamented an engine house. The Rev. Henry 
Baylies found it in a photograph gallery in Fall River, 
Massachusetts. Mr. Baylies sold it in 189 1 to C. F. Gunther, 
of Chicago. 

Among the prominent citizens to whom Franklin 
introduced young Robert Fulton was John Ross, a 
successful merchant, who in friendly interest sug- 
gested that the artist should make a specialty of 
crayon likenesses of the young ladies in society. 
To set the fashion, Mr. Ross ordered portraits of 
his two daughters, Margaret and Clementina. 

Mr. Ross was devoted to Clementina and when 
summoned to Paris on business for the government, 
wished her to accompany him ; but Mrs. Ross, 
knowing that the ocean was infested by pirates, 
feared that their daughter might fall into their 
hands and raised so strong an objection that 
Clementina stayed at home. So Mr. Ross had her 
crayon portrait copied on ivory and carried the 
miniature as traveling companion. 

Fulton's portrait shows Margaret Ross in fancy 
dress, with tall jeweled head-gear, holding in her 
hand a full-blown rose. 

Perhaps the daintiest bit of work ever accom- 
plished by Fulton was an exquisite miniature of a 
certain Mary West, so tiny that it is set, as a jewel, 



26 ROBERT FULTON 

in a finger ring. The likeness, oval in shape, is 
surrounded by brilliants. According to family 
tradition, Fulton painted the ring that Mary 
West's brother might wear it at the Court of St. 
James in London. Her father, William West, 
came to live in Philadelphia about 1750 and was 
probably related to Benjamin West, the artist. 

It is easy to see that, by reason of hard work, 
Fulton was already on the highway to success. 
He persevered at his profession and gained not 
merely money but also the esteem and confidence 
of his friends. Unfortunately, constant labor 
began to tell upon his health and, when he was 
twenty years old, a heavy cold fastened so severely 
upon him that he fell ill with inflammation of the 
lungs, followed by symptoms of the dread disease, 
consumption. 

He consulted an eminent doctor, by whose advice 
he immediately left the city, with a proposed ocean 
voyage in view for the benefit of his health. He 
journeyed first by stage-coach to the famous Hot 
Springs of Virginia, where it is said some of his 
father's relatives had taken up land. This change 
did him great good. He not only gained strength 
but made many new friends. Their advice deep- 
ened his desire to go to Europe to view the art treas- 
ures of the old world, and, with the doctor's 



PAINTING PORTRAITS AND MINIATURES 27 

prescription of an ocean voyage in mind, he began 
to plan to cross the Atlantic. 

During his stay in Philadelphia, nearly four 
years, he had grown from a country lad, eager to 
earn his livelihood, into a young man of ability, 
whose friendship with intelligent men, coupled with 
his unremitting study, had given him mental 
poise and an easy manner of deportment. No 
longer was he awkward and shy, but ready to 
mingle with men and women of culture and feel 
himself, as indeed he was, one of them. He had, 
moreover, proved the fact that he could earn his 
living by art, for he had saved a substantial " nest- 
egg/ ' as the result of his industry. With the happy 
optimism of youth he looked on the bright side of 
life and was eager to see the old world across the seas. 
It was a wise decision. His mind was open to re- 
ceive impressions and keen to recognize universal 
needs, which he could later help science to provide. 

One anxiety alone clouded the prospect; not 
his ill health, — for already he felt stronger and 
was assured that he was on the way to complete 
recovery, — but tender thought for his widowed 
mother. Up to this time he had been able, from 
time to time, to send her gifts of money ; now he 
took counsel with his friends as to how he might 
best provide for her future comfort. 



28 ROBERT FULTON 

A family who owns its home is free from the 
monthly bill of rental to a landlord. A "roof over 
the head" is of prime importance to ease of mind. 
Possibly Fulton's remittances of money had been 
devoted to house rent ; be that as it may, he decided 
before he set sail for England to provide his mother 
with a home of her own. She was fond of a garden, 
and flowers were her delight ; so he decided that a 
small farm, where food could be produced for the 
family of growing girls and the younger brother, 
would prove to be the best and wisest gift he could 
bestow. Our next chapter will tell of the pleasant 
farm on which Fulton established his mother and 
family before he set sail for the old world. 



CHAPTER IV 

The Gift of a Farm 

Did you ever hold a camera film to the light? 
All things are turned about ; the right side becomes 
the left, and the first object in view appears to be 
the last, at the extreme end of the picture. So it 
seems when we take a mental review of the past, — 
the point of contact is reversed and we can balance 
accurately the lights and shadows that appear. 

To the mind of Robert Fulton, about to make a 
venture which called for courage, — a voyage to 
an unknown land, — the chief aim of his life was 
the care of his mother, whom he must leave behind. 
The longer he thought, the more was he convinced 
that better than a sum of money, which might be 
lost or stolen, would be the gift of a farm-home 
where she could settle down to enjoy an old age of 
security and peace. 

We can well imagine that he cast about in his 
mind properly to determine the best location for 
this purchase. It appears that a relative, the 
Rev. Joseph Smith, had been called to the pastorate 

29 



30 ROBERT FULTON 

of the Presbyterian Church in the town of Hope- 
well, Washington County, Pennsylvania. In order 
that his mother might have the care and protec- 
tion of this relative, Robert Fulton decided to buy 
the new home in Hopewell. He selected a farm of 
more than eighty acres on Cross Creek, a fertile 
spot near running water, not unlike the farm which 
had been his mother's earlier home and his own 
birthplace. 

The long journey through the wilderness which 
lay between the two settlements had to be made 
by coach or wagon. It was like a fresh start in 
life to Mrs. Fulton and her family, three growing 
daughters and the young lad, Abraham, now about 
sixteen years of age. The "big brother," Robert, 
was looked upon with great admiration ; his success 
in Philadelphia, his friendship with the famous 
Franklin and other prominent men of the country, 
and his tangible gift of the new home — all proofs 
of his industry — must have filled the mother's heart 
with gratitude and pardonable pride, as she looked, 
with mingled joy and anxiety, at her tall son battling 
with ill health yet resolved to conquer that and 
every other obstacle to success. He must indeed 
have been a son and brother to be proud of ! 

The new home was in Hopewell Township, one 
mile northeast of the present little village of Buffalo 



THE GIFT OF A FARM 31 

near Pittsburgh. It was sold to "Robert Fulton, 
miniature painter of Philadelphia," for about 
$400.00 — not a large amount for a home, to be 
sure, but it was quite a sum in those days. We 
know the land had been cleared, cultivated, and 
planted, a great help toward its establishment as a 
productive farm. Upon it was a two-story peaked- 
roof dwelling having a central hallway and a 
kitchen extension. Chimneys at both ends pro- 
vided generous hearths for winter comfort and a 
tall spreading tree in front gave grateful shade 
through summer heat. In an old colored print 
of the scene several cows are shown in the pasture 
near the creek and an adjacent log cabin was 
probably used as a cattle barn. 

It has been stated that Robert Fulton gave the 
farm to his mother on his twenty-first birthday, a 
generous way to prove that "it is more blessed to 
give than to receive." Most of us are looking for 
gifts on similar happy occasions ; it is another and 
a better way to celebrate them by a gift to the 
mother who gave us birth. The deed is dated 
May 6th, and Robert's birthday did not occur 
until November 14th, but the actual taking posses- 
sion of the home may have been deferred until the 
latter date. 

During the month of September of the same year, 



32 ROBERT FULTON 

Robert Fulton also purchased for seventy-five 
dollars four lots in the town of Washington, 
Pennsylvania, which, through the enterprise of its 
pioneer settler, John Hoge, had just been surveyed 
and mapped into streets. Washington seemed a 
promising field for investment and Mr. Hoge a 
man of integrity and good judgment. Fulton 
had great confidence in him, and while in England 
sent letters and remittances of money for his 
mother in Mr. Hoge's care. 

It appears that Fulton bought these four lots 
with the thought that they would provide home 
sites for his sisters and brother when they married. 
He later conveyed them to the three sisters, and 
in a letter to his mother, directed that the fourth 
lot be sold to pay the remainder of his indebtedness 
to Mr. Pollack for the purchase of the farm. 

In 1786 Isabella Fulton married Peyton Cooke. 
In February of that year he obtained a deed for 
"a lot of ground and hewed logs for a home." At 
the end of the document appear these words, 
"By Peyton Cooke's direction, this deed is made 
for Robert Fulton." Probably Fulton had ad- 
vanced money for the transaction. 

Some time later, Elizabeth Fulton, or Peggy as 
she was called in her brother's letters, became the 
wife of a Mr. Scott, who probably died in a few 



THE GIFT OF A FARM 33 

years, for his wife and children made their home 
on the farm with her mother, and its ownership 
was secured to her by Robert Fulton's will in 
1815. 

In 1790 Mary Fulton, or "Polly," married David 
Morris, a nephew of Benjamin West. Mr. Morris 
was a man of local prominence and his intelligence 
seems to have rendered him the most companion- 
able of Robert Fulton's brothers-in-law. 

Abraham Smith Fulton, the only brother, is said 
to have opened a school in the town of Washington. 
During his later life he was employed by his brother 
in running an early steamboat on the Ohio River. 
Some time after this, in overseeing the building of 
a log house, on a bluff not far from Pittsburgh, he 
was instantly killed by the collapse of the structure. 

This, in brief, is the story of the sisters and 
brother of Robert Fulton. Through eighteen years' 
absence in Europe his love for them remained true ; 
and when he made his will, in 18 14, he left to each a 
legacy, and relinquished all right to money which 
he had at different times lent them. 

Mr. Morris built the home for his wife, Polly 
Fulton, upon the lot adjoining Mr. Hoge's home, 
given her by her brother. A letter, written by 
Robert Fulton to his mother, from London, June 
14th, 1790, alludes to the happy event. It shows 



34 ROBERT FULTON 

so clearly his unchanging love and generosity that 
I quote it in full : 

Dear Mother ; 

I have rec'd yours of January 29th, 1790, and am happy 
to hear of the good health of the family which is the first 
consideration and nearest my heart. May Heaven con- 
tinue to Shed that blessing on you and I shall be happy. 

I canfeasy conceive your garden to be the best in Wash- 
ington ; Gardening ever was your delight, besides you have 
a taste for that kind of cultivation which perhaps the people 
of your Western Country are Strangers to. 

Be assured my Ideas often hover around the little spot. 
I think I see it improved by your Industrious hand whilst 
the flowers of Spring lend their aid to beautify the scene ; 
but chief of all I think I see you on a Sunday evening con- 
templatively walking on the grounds and with Silent pleas- 
ure viewing the labours of the week. And thus each even- 
ing Reflect with pleasure on the past day. So shall time 
pass on and pleasure Crown the evening of life. Here I 
could enter into a Chain of those Ideas which Crowd upon 
a heart sensible of the feelings of a fond mother and the 
affection due from a child, but I must be silent and only 
answer your letter. 

It has given me much pleasure that you do not wish me 
to hurry home till I complete my study. Indeed it is of so 
much importance my gaining all possible knowledge that 
should I now return I might have it to repent of ever after. 
And our hearing so frequently from each other is some rea- 
son why we should be more easy in the subject. 

You tell me Polly is going to be Mar(r)yed. May she be 
happy, but I will write to her on the subject. . . . 




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THE GIFT OF A FARM 35 

As for the pictures for Polly, she should have them with 
pleasure but I do not paint anything so Small and the 
carryage of any of my paintings would be very expensive 
but whenever I conveniently can I will send you my own 
picture. 

I am just getting ready to go to France for 3 months and 
am afraid I shall not have time to write to Abraham but 
give my best love to him and all friends and believe me to 
be with Continued affection, 

Your loving son, 

Robert Fulton. 

So Polly wanted some of her brother's pictures 
to hang in her new home ; and the home itself was 
built upon one of the four lots purchased by her 
generous brother. 

But let us turn in thought to the young Robert 
Fulton bidding farewell to his mother and family, 
in that autumn of 1786. It is probable that he 
sailed from New York, for in a later letter he 
mentions friends in that city and also in Baltimore, 
where he had stopped on his way to Virginia. 

He was not empty-handed; he carried forty 
guineas in his purse and one letter of introduction 
which was worth more than money, for it was from 
the great Benjamin Franklin to the American 
artist, Benjamin West, then at the height of his 
fame in London and soon to become president of 
the Royal Academy. 



36 ROBERT FULTON 

The vessel spread its white sails and turned forth 
upon the ocean for the long voyage to England ; 
and one brave passenger, the Pennsylvania boy, 
Robert Fulton, set his face forward with eager 
hope toward a new world. 



CHAPTER V 

Studying Art in England 

A voyage to England in a sailing ship took time ; 
probably six weeks at least elapsed before Robert 
Fulton could discern the long gray coast line of 
"Mother England." If anxious about the new 
venture, or lonely for the family he had left behind, 
he pushed aside all gloomy thoughts and made 
ready to meet the new conditions of a strange land. 

He journeyed directly to London to present to 
Benjamin West the important letter of introduc- 
tion which he carried from Dr. Franklin. The 
strong sea air and the long rest on shipboard had 
benefited his health, and he was thirsting to get to 
work as soon as possible. 

His ease of manner and self-confidence had suf- 
ficed for the experiences of Philadelphia, yet it is 
reasonable to assume that his heart beat fast when 
he finally stood, letter in hand, at the imposing 
doorway of Benjamin West's fine house, for it 
surpassed his expectation of grandeur. To his 
eyes it appeared a palace ! The main house was 

37 



38 ROBERT FULTON 

connected by a long art gallery with the studio, 
a lofty suite of rooms, filled with sketches and designs 
for historical paintings; for West had specialized 
in this form of art and had already been favored by 
royal recognition. Approval by the king was the 
highest honor England could bestow, and in time 
West was elected president of the Royal Academy. 
If young Fulton had profited by his personal inter- 
course with Dr. Franklin and other men of genius 
in America, we may readily believe that he gained 
even greater mental stimulus from West, who, like 
himself, was a Pennsylvania farm-bred boy. 

West and his wife gave the young American a 
hearty welcome and an invitation to stay in their 
home until he found suitable lodgings. He gladly 
accepted their kind hospitality and a strong bond 
of friendship was formed between the two men 
which endured throughout their lives. One of the 
finest portraits we have of Robert Fulton was 
painted by Benjamin West. 

It is said of West that his work was never a 
burden to him but always a joy. He sat at his 
easel as though in sport, not in labor, and painted 
more than a hundred portraits, in addition to 
large canvases depicting historical scenes. In 
studying the life of any and every great man, his 
industry becomes our wonder. The same number 



STUDYING ART IN ENGLAND 39 

of hours — twenty-four — are allotted to us all, 
yet how sadly different are the results accomplished, 
how differing the totals! Hard and well directed 
work is always the secret of success. 

It was not long before Robert Fulton's easel 
was set up in West's studio, and, under the tuition 
of the older man, the student was working with 
infinite pains. West must have seemed to Fulton 
like a king among men, and he endeavored to gain 
all possible profit from the master's lessons. 

His dear mother, on the Pennsylvania farm, 
must have been greatly cheered when she received 
letters from over the sea. She treasured the fol- 
lowing, written by Fulton's friend George Sander- 
son, of Baltimore. Yellow with age, it is still 
carefully preserved. It begins with old-time 
formality. 

Baltimore, 25th July, 1788. 
Madam; 

I am happy in informing you that I arrived here a few 
days since from London where I had the pleasure of meeting 
with your son, Robert Fulton. He was when I left him in 
perfect health & what will I believe be pleasing information 
to you, that his improvement in the liberal art of painting 
is almost incredible. Add to this his personal accomplish- 
ments & prudent behavior has gained him many friends & 
those who have ability & inclination to befriend him. 

Mr. West, a Gentleman who is the King's Historical 



40 ROBERT FULTON 

Painter & a Man of independent Circumstances I am happy 
to inform you is number'd among his Friends & has in 
consequence of your Son's ingratiating address & manners, 
patronized him. 

He further speaks of "Bob's regret that his 
friends have not dropped him a line since he 
arrived in England," and offers to forward any 
letters that may come enclosed to his care in Balti- 
more. The letter, with its quaint phrases, gave 
good reason for joy in the quiet farm-house by 
Cross Creek. 

Although Fulton stayed for a time with Mr. and 
Mrs. West in their delightful home, the burden of 
self-support was before him. He soon found 
lodgings in the vicinity, but a "guinea a week" 
was too great a price for his slender purse and he 
made another change; in fact, he made several 
during the succeeding years, "to suit his conven- 
ience" as he terms it in a letter to his mother, 
but he always arranged to reside near Mr. 
West. 

You will notice that George Sanderson spoke of 
"Bob's personal accomplishments and prudent 
behavior.'" It is well to make a special mental 
note of this latter fact, for many a temptation comes 
to a youth in a strange land, yet there never echoes 
a whisper of reproach against Fulton's conduct. 



STUDYING ART IN ENGLAND 41 

This " prudent behavior " was a safeguard to his 
character; he was merry-hearted and had many 
friends but all of the right kind. 

On April 14th, 1789, Fulton wrote his mother 
that he was in perfect health and had good prospect 
of succeeding in his profession. He confessed 
that " painting requires more study than I at first 
imagined, in Consequence of which I will be 
obliged to stay longer than I expected. But," he 
adds, "all things work together for good and I am 
convinced my exertions will have a good tendency." 
There is brave hope in the letter but a touch of 
home-sickness : "In your next letter," he continues, 
"please to give me a very particular account of 
everything you know, particularly how you like 
the little farm, — if you have a good garden, and 
what kind of neighbors you have got. And in 
fact I should like to know everything that will give 
you pleasure or promote the happiness of the family. 
There is nothing interrupts my happiness here but 
the desire of seeing my relations, but time will 
bring us together and I hope at my return to see 
you all happy as the day is long." 

It is a very human letter, just such as any fond 
son might write from a strange land. The con- 
stancy of affection, the admission of loneliness, the 
confession that his task is hard and long, yet withal, 



42 ROBERT FULTON 

the brave faith in the Bible promise taught by his 
good mother that "all things work together for 
good," is stronger than any note of weakness. 

It was not long before Fulton's winning manner 
gained him a host of friends in London, for in West's 
studio he met many prominent men, and they in 
turn introduced him to others. With one of these, 
Mr. Henry Fulton, a distant kinsman, he became 
intimate and arranged that all his letters should be 
sent in this gentleman's care, for he was a London 
merchant and well known. Mails were very 
irregular in those days, and it was uncertain whether 
a letter, even when properly started, would reach 
its destination. Postage rates were high and 
kindly friends who were crossing the ocean carried 
packets of letters which they passed on to other 
travelers, until the missives finally reached the 
persons for whom they were intended. 

At this point we may let Fulton tell his own 
story, for none could tell it so well. The letters 
which follow are intimate ; they confide the secrets 
he withheld from those about him and confided 
to his mother only when times brightened and his 
success as an artist became certain. 

Although happy in forming new friendships in a 
new land, Fulton could not forget the comrades 
of his early days. The fifty letters he so casually 



STUDYING ART IN ENGLAND 43 

alludes to in the following letter probably repre- 
sent but a few of the many friends whom he cher- 
ished in memory and desired to touch with that 
far-reaching wand, the pen of remembrance. 

The letter to his mother was written from Lon- 
don on July 31st, 1789. 

Affectionate Mother ; 

With pleasure I imbrace every opportunity to write you 
and these letters will be carryed to Phila. by Mr. Benjamin 
Barton; but as I wrote you some time ago in answer to 
letters which I Rec'd from you and Polly, to which Letters 
I have as yet had no answer, this must be a short one In which 
I must only give you some account of private affairs. My 
health is perfect: this Climate agrees well with me; my 
Prospect is good and In Short I am very happy as I have 
many Respectable Friends. But the Emence desire to see 
you, together with the rest of my Family gives me many 
anxious hours And but for this I could sit myself down with 
Content in England. But I love my Country and Friends 
And no Consideration shall separate me from them — this 
is my present Resolution. But why do I make this 
promise ? 

Alas I am possessed of no more fortitude than other Men, 
and some unf orseen Stroke may separate us for ever ; but 
hope is ever by my side and I hope ere long to have the 
pleasure of seeing all of you. . . . 

As I am frequently changing my Lodgings to Suit my 
Convenience I Shall now give you new directions for your 
letters. It is to a permanent Merchant's house, a namesake 
and Intimate friend of mine, and the letters will be much 



44 ROBERT FULTON 

more likely to find him than me in which case I shall allways 
get them. You must direct them exactly thus 

Mr. Robert Fulton, 
Painter, 
To the care of Mr. Henry Fulton, 
No. 9 Watling Street, 

London. 

I beg you'l pay particular attention and have them 
precisely in the above manner and if they come to London 
I am sure to get them. . . . 

You must excuse the shortness of this letter as I am under 
the necessity of writing to my Phila., Virginia, New York, 
Lancaster and Baltimorien friends, which in the whole 
makes 50 letters of much the same length as this. There- 
fore to conclude this I shall (torn place in paper) be very 
particular and let me know every thing that you possibly 
can when you write — to write small and close that you 
may say a great deal in small compass for the ships often 
put the letters ashore at the first port they make, they come 
post to London And I have often paid half a guinea for a 
small package of letters. The better to accomplish this 
you better buy letter paper as it is thin for we pay according 
to the weight and not the size so if you can send me a pound 
of news upon an ounce of paper I shall save allmost a guinea 
by it. 

I have just left myself room to wish all of you every 
happiness and love and Compliments to Mr. Smith, Polly, 
Abraham, Bell Peyton and all Friends And believe me to be 
everything that is dutifull and affectionate in a Son, Brother 
and Friend, 

R. Fulton. 



STUDYING ART IN ENGLAND 45 

He adds in postscript : 

I was happy to hear by your last letter directed to Mr. 
West that you were down in the Country among our old 
friends and that they together with my good old Grand- 
mother were in good health. 

This letter fairly depicts Fulton's hopes, long- 
ings, and accomplishments during his student days 
in London. They were days of anxiety and of 
hard work; for hours he would ponder over the 
"ways and means" of life, and had it not been for 
the friendship of kindly acquaintances he might 
have yielded to despair, or have been tempted to 
set aside the chosen career. In poetic terms he 
speaks of " Poverties' cold wind and freezing 
rain"; and it is evident that he suffered, as far 
as his happy nature could permit, the pangs of 
loneliness and of almost actual hunger. Yet he 
pressed on with his work, and in time the magical 
wand of industry wrought a welcome change. 

So passed the first four years of his stay in Eng- 
land, years of fresh impressions, strict economy and 
untiring labor. Added to his anxieties were the 
entreaties of his mother to return home, for he 
writes, November 21st, 1790, "You must not be 
uneasy at my not returning home as soon as I first 
intended for it is of the utmost importance my 



46 ROBERT FULTON 

continuing to prosecute my studies in London, 
and were I to return I must live in Phila. or New 
York, which would still be distant from you. Be- 
sides the certain method by which we have letters 
from each other ought to make us easy." 

His joy was great when in 1791 he attained the 
honor and pleasure of admission of two of his 
canvases to the Royal Academy and four others 
to the Exhibition of the Royal Society of British 
Artists; the former were portraits of young 
gentlemen, the latter more ambitious works similar 
to West's — a study from the Bible story, "Elisha 
Raising the Widow's Son," and a Priscilla and 
Alladine" from Spenser's " Faerie Queen." 

It was natural that he should take up the study 
of English history at this time, and two paintings, 
"Mary Queen of Scots" and "Lady Jane Gray" 
are interesting and beautiful examples of his art. 
Both were painted in 1793. No doubt West 
encouraged and instructed him in this sort of work, 
and Fulton dreamed of a brilliant future like that 
of his teacher. 

We are grateful for the light which the letters 
already quoted cast upon the years Fulton spent 
in England, for, until their discovery, this period 
was obscure. After he had attained fame, his 
letters and drawings were treasured, but as a 



STUDYING ART IN ENGLAND 47 

humble student in a strange land, it was difficult 
to follow his routine of life. At the close of a 
hundred years, when the city of New York cele- 
brated the discovery of the Hudson River and 
Fulton's successful steam navigation upon it, 
descendants of Fulton's sisters lent to the New York 
Historical Society for exhibition, these interesting 
documents which throw some light on the early 
years of the inventor's life. They had been 
treasured by his dear old mother on that distant 
Pennsylvania farm, and handed down through 
several generations to the present owners. 



CHAPTER VI 

From Art to Invention 

If you had been working very hard, and sud- 
denly received an order from an influential man 
to do a responsible piece of work for him, you would 
be very happy over it. Such a pleasure came to 
Robert Fulton in 1791, when Lord Courtenay, the 
Earl of Devon, invited the young artist to visit his 
famous country estate, Powderham Castle, during 
the vacation month of June, to paint his lordship's 
portrait. 

The castle in Devonshire, which is one of Eng- 
land's most beautiful counties, was about two 
hundred miles from London. There the Earl 
lived in princely grandeur, and admitted to his 
court only persons of equal rank; all others were 
entertained by his steward, a gentleman of birth 
and education. 

This visit proved a turning-point in Fulton's 
life. With high hope he made the journey by stage- 
coach, reveling in the springtime glory of the 
wooded country-side. The study of the art treas- 

48 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 49 

ures in the castle, and his appreciation of them, 
led to a later tour of other famous country-estates 
in England, and he became familiar with the great 
masterpieces of painting which hung in the spacious 
private galleries of the nobility, for Lord Court enay, 
pleased with Fulton's fulfilment of the intrusted 
commission, introduced him to all his friends. 

It was a novel and valuable experience for the 
young man. Devonshire is noted for its scenic 
beauty and healthful climate : so the trip not only 
gave the hard-worked student a beneficial change 
of air and scene, but also put money in his purse, 
and quieted the fears of possible failure which had 
occasionally disturbed his peace of mind. 

Once again Fulton himself shall tell us, through 
this quaint and delightful letter to his mother, of 
the pleasant change which had befallen him : 

Devonshire, Jan'ry 20th, 1792. 
My dear Mother, 

This morning I rec'd a package of letters from Philadel- 
phia among which were one from you, one from Abraham 
and two from Mr. Morris, one of which was for Mr. West. 
In Consequence of my leaving London on June last for to do 
some business for Lord Courtney In Devonshire which is 
about 200 miles from London The letters by some accident 
have not reached me till now. As you rely on it I should 
have answered them by the first Conveyance — But I 
Rec'd them with Infinite pleasure as they come from you 

E 



50 ROBERT FULTON 

and Informed me of your good health. And now I will 
attend to the particulars As I am well convinced every 
Incident Relative to my life will Communicate pleasure 
to you. You express much desire to know how my pictures 
were Rec'd at the Royal Academy — this I believe I an- 
swered before but possibly the letter has miscarryed You 
will be pleased to hear that I sent eight pictures which 
Rec'd every possible mark of Approbation that the Society 
could give, but these exertions are all for honor — there is 
no prophet (profit) arising from it. It only tends to Create 
a name that may hereafter produce business. 

My little tour through France proved very agreeable and 
was of some service to me as a painter in as much as I saw 
the works of some of the most able masters in the art, which 
much improved my eye and taste. 

Mr. West and me are on a very familiar footing and 
when he is in town pays me much attention which is ex- 
tremely agreeable as we live near each other. 

. . . And I must now Give Some little history of my life 
since I came to London. I brought not more than 40 
Guineas to England and was set down in a strange Country 
without a friend and only one letter of Introduction to Mr. 
West — here I had an art to learn by which I was to earn 
my bread but little to support whilst I was doing it. And 
numbers of Eminent Men of the same profession which I 
must Excell before I Could hope to live. Many, many a 
Silent solitary hour have I spent in the most unnerved 
Studdy Anxiously pondering how to make funds to support 
me till the fruits of my labours should be sufficient to pay 
them. Thus I went on for near four years — happily 
beloved by all who knew me or I had long ere now been 
Crushed by Proverties Cold wind — and Freezing Rain — 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 51 

till last summer I was Invited by Lord Courtney down to his 
Country seat to paint a picture of him which gave his 
Lordship so much pleasure that he has introduced me to all 
his Friends. And it is but just now that I am beginning to 
get a little money and pay some debt which I was obliged 
to Contract so I hope in about 6 months to be clear with the 
world or in other words, out of debt, and then start fair 
to Make all I Can. 

You see dear Mother this is very different from being 
Rich(?) not that I can say I ever was in absolute want. 
Heaven has been kind to me and I am thankf ull — hoping 
now to go on Smooth and happy as the absence from my 
friends will admit of — I am happy to hear that all my rela- 
tions are well. I shall write to them separately. I enjoy 
excellent health which I hope will Continue till I may have 
the happiness of seeing you. Please to remember me kindly 
to Mr. Smith and all friends And may Heaven Continue its 
blessings towards you is the most unfeigned wish of your 
Obedient Son, 

Robert Fulton. 

You will notice that Fulton says that Lord 
Courtenay had introduced him to all his friends. 
Among them were two men of rank and high intelli- 
gence, the Duke of Bridgewater and Earl Stanhope, 
whose influence at this time seems partly respon- 
sible for a sudden change in Fulton's line of thought. 

The Duke of Bridgewater owned vast coal 
mines. He sold their product in the growing town of 
Manchester where coal was in demand for the many 



52 ROBERT FULTON 

factories; but every load had to be carried upon 
the backs of pack horses and the transportation 
was slow and difficult. The duke had been trying 
to find an easier way and, by the advice of a clever 
workman, he had opened a canal through his land, 
and shipped the coal on barges. This plan worked 
well and wealth began to pour into the duke's 
coffers. This led to his desire to dig canals through- 
out England so that produce from farms might 
easily be sold. The idea was not new, for such 
waterways had already been used in Europe and 
in Asia ; but the duke's way of building them was 
somewhat novel, and one of the great difficulties 
he encountered was that of overcoming the many 
different water levels. 

When we recall the old-time methods, — stage- 
coaches lumbering their slow way along post- 
roads; sailing vessels tacking their roundabout 
paths across the oceans; and harvests wilting on 
the ground because farmers had no way to send 
them to the cities where the hungry would gladly 
have bought them ; — when we remember all this 
we can quickly realize why the thoughtful men of 
the world were beginning to try to plan new and 
better ways of transportation. 

Robert Fulton could look back in thought to his 
boyhood days in Lancaster, and recall the story of 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 53 

the enrichment of certain farmlands by a clever 
Swiss settler, who had watered a whole range of 
hitherto barren land, by simply cutting trenches 
along the side of a hill, wherein water was conducted, 
from upper springs, to the thirsty lands below. 
The digging of channels to form watercourses was 
not new ; it had proved its value. 

Inspired by the need of the Duke of Bridgewater, 
and impressed by the money earned by his simple 
device, Robert Fulton set himself to study out a 
better way to build canals. 

In fact, about this time he appears to have been 
pondering on many practical methods to simplify 
work. He visited the stone and marble quarries 
in Devonshire and found that the digging and 
raising of the heavy products was extremely hard 
work. His first invention was a mill for sawing 
marble and stone, which proved so successful that 
when Fulton returned to London in the autumn he 
sent his model to the Society of Arts, Commerce 
and Manufactures and received a silver medal and 
the thanks of the society. 

Two talents were now striving for expression in 
Fulton's active mind, art and science. One or the 
other had to have his full devotion ; and about this 
time he seems to have laid aside his brushes, with 
all their charm and the rewards which he was just 



54 ROBERT FULTON 

beginning to realize, and to have deliberately taken 
up the practical problems of invention. 

This change was not because he did not love art, 
for throughout the remainder of his life he con- 
tinued, from time to time, to paint portraits; 
he was ever a devoted patron and friend of art, 
but there was not time for both professions, and 
that of the inventor now made the stronger appeal. 

The everyday needs were those which won 
Fulton's earliest attention. He made a machine 
for spinning flax, perhaps in thought of his patient 
mother at home, working at her old-time spinning- 
wheel ; and he next produced a machine for making 
rope. It stood in a room forty feet square and 
could be worked by one man, twisting cordage of 
any size and winding rope yarn on spools. 

In these inventions Fulton saw an opportunity 
to help mankind to better and easier methods of 
work, and also a way of securing a competence. 
His vision was wide; humanity was one family, 
and the round world provided a vast field for labor. 
It is not probable that he could have gained this 
view of life if he had tarried in quiet Lancaster. 

He stayed in Devonshire nearly two years, 
although he returned to London for occasional 
visits. From Devonshire he went to Birmingham, 
a town of industrial importance, where he studied 




The Washwoman. 

The earliest known drawing by Robert Fulton. Owned by the Estate of 
Joseph Bringhurst. 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 55 

the method of the Duke of Bridgewater for build- 
ing canals from that point to the seaports of 
England. From that time on his mind was con- 
cerned with plans for better means of transport. 
The years 1792 to 1796 were tilled with new activi- 
ties, new plans, new friends, new places of residence. 
He visited France, he toured Devonshire, he went 
to Birmingham and Manchester, the most impor- 
tant manufacturing centers in England where 
machinery of the highest type then known was in 
use. 

By 1794 Fulton had invented an inclined plane 
for use in canals, by means of which boats could be 
lifted by upright hoists or rails to different levels 
of water; his hope was to avoid the complicated 
system of locks. He patented it in London, and 
described himself " Robert Fulton, late of the City 
of Exeter, but now of the City of London, Gentle- 
man," which indicates that he had laid aside his 
former titles, " miniature painter," and " painter." 

During his stay in Manchester Fulton met 
young Robert Owen, the manager of Drinkwater's 
Mill, the first mill to use steam power. Owen was 
a fellow of fine intelligence and the two young men 
found many interests in common. 

With other well-chosen comrades they formed a 
club which met on winter evenings to debate all 



56 ROBERT FULTON 

sorts of subjects, — chemistry, science and reli- 
gion. They called themselves " philosophers" ; 
and so interesting were their meetings that they 
were very popular and well attended. 

One of the members was John Dalton, who later 
became a noted chemist, and another was the fine 
poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, then a student at 
Cambridge, so he could only come during vacation 
times. 

In 1794 Fulton and Owen formed a partnership 
for Inclined Planes and Canal Excavations. Owen 
promised to advance the money and Fulton "to 
apply his whole time and exertions to the said 
business." But the following spring, after a 
disappointment through the postponement of 
digging a canal at Gloucester, the two men dis- 
solved the partnership by mutual consent. An 
unbroken friendship continued between them, and 
in old age Owen referred with pleasure to the fact 
that he had been able to advance Fulton in a 
career which later was of such benefit to the world. 

In 1796 Fulton wrote to Owen that he had made 
an improvement in the "tanning business" and 
that it promised to pay well. This goes to show 
how many plans he carried in his fertile brain, 
but at this time he was chiefly concerned in canal 
work. 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 57 

During this year he produced his first publication, 
"A Treatise on the Improvement of Canal Naviga- 
tion/' and signed it "R. Fulton, Civil Engineer." 
Much time was spent over this production for he 
illustrated it with seventeen plates and sent it 
broadcast to the distinguished men of the world. 
In several instances he wrote personal letters to 
accompany the book, by which he hoped to awaken 
wide interest. 

He sent one letter to Governor Mifflin of Penn- 
sylvania, another to Napoleon Bonaparte, and a 
third to George Washington, then President of the 
United States. This letter is interesting as show- 
ing how great a system of canal extension Fulton 
had in mind : 

London, Sept. 12th, 1796. 
To His Excellency, 

George Washington, 

President of the United States : 
Sir; 

By my Friend, Dr. Edwards, I beg leave to present you 
with this publication ; which I hope will be honored with 
your Perusal at a leisure hour : the object of which is to 
Exhibit the Certain mode of Giving Agriculture to every 
Acre of the immense Continent of America By Means of a 
Creative System of Canals : 

When this Subject first entered my thoughts, I had no 
Idea of its Consequences : But the Scene gradually opened 
and at length exhibited the most extensive and pleasing 



58 ROBERT FULTON 

prospect of Improvements; hence I now Consider it of 
much national Importance ; and View it like the applica- 
tion of those particular principles which produce certain 
effects : 

Thus the discovery of the Mariner's Compass Gave 
Commerce to the World. 

The .Invention of printing is dissipating darkness and 
giving a Polish to the Mass of Men. 

And the Introduction of the Creative System of Canals 
as certain in their effects will give an Agricultural Polish to 
Every Acre of America. I therefore Beg Leave to Submit to 
your Contemplation the Last Chapter with the Supplement ; 
which Exhibits the specific System for America : And hop- 
ing that your Excellencies Sanction will awaken the Public 
attention to the Subject ; I Remain with all possible respect, 
Your Excellencies 

Most Obedient and Very Humble Servant, 

Robert Fulton. 

The letter, hopefully sent by a friendly hand, 
was duly received and politely acknowledged by our 
first president, who, on the 14th of December, 
expressed his thanks and confessed "the subject is 
interesting and I dare presume is well treated but 
as the Book came to me in the midst of busy pre- 
paratory scenes for Congress I have not had leisure 
yet to give it the perusal which the importance of 
such work would merit. I shall do it with pleasure, 
I am persuaded, when I have." 

President Washington's letter must have seemed 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 59 

somewhat disappointing, after waiting five months, 
but optimism was Fulton's strong point and he 
thrived on even a crumb of encouragement. Ac- 
cordingly, the day after its receipt, we find that 
Fulton followed up the matter by another letter; 
it shows that the young American had, as a base 
for calculation, only the carriage rates from Lan- 
caster to Philadelphia, yet with how sublime a 
faith he prophesies the extension of a canal from 
Philadelphia to Lake Erie, — the first prediction 
of the great Erie Canal ! It was a brave flight of 
fancy but was actually realized during the early 
part of the next century, — Fulton having been 
the earliest to foresee its possibility. 

He trusts that "His Excellency will soon have 
time to peruse his pamphlet on small canals 'in 
tranquil retirement from the busy operations of a 
Public life.'" He confessed that the greatest dif- 
ficulty in the plan was to devise a method to raise 
the vast sum of money for the canals. At first 
thought, he considered them " national works," 
to be built at the expense of the government, but 
finally concludes that an incorporated company of 
subscribers should be formed who would pledge them- 
selves to apply one half, or any agreed part, of their 
profits to extension as it would then be to their in- 
terest to promote the work and to guard the earnings. 



60 ROBERT FULTON 

Then Fulton includes other states in the calcula- 
tion and predicts "a creative system which would 
fill the whole country and in less than a century 
bring water-carriage within the easy cartage of 
every acre of the American States, conveying the 
surplus labours of one hundred millions of men, 
and bind the whole in bonds of social intercourse." 

Fulton wrote also to the great Napoleon and 
presented his plan with considerable originality. 
He said that "fear of envy or the criticism of 
ignorance is frequently the cause of preventing 
ingenious men from making important discoveries ;" 
and adds, "the mechanic should sit down among 
levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc. like a poet 
among the letters of the alphabet, considering 
them as the exhibition of his thoughts, in which a 
new arrangement transmits a new Idea to the 
world." He reminded Napoleon that "men of the 
least genius are the first to condemn and the last 
to praise a new idea, because they have not the 
sense to grasp the produce of genius when they 
see it." 

It was rather a daring deed for a young engineer 
to venture to offer to Washington and Napoleon, 
world-famous men of their day, a new idea to 
benefit their respective countries. He also tried 
to influence public opinion in England by the 



FROM ART TO INVENTION 61 

publication in the London Morning Star of some 
essays on Canal Navigation. 

It is to be hoped that these literary productions 
brought some money to Fulton's pocket, for he 
was so interested in his canal project that he had 
not touched his painting for two years. He was 
on a fearless quest for new methods to solve world- 
wide problems. He dared to be original. Many a 
man who dared less has failed to bring valuable 
aid to humanity. 

And so Fulton changed his career from art to 
invention, a turn in the tide of his thought which 
brought much good to the world. But he retained 
his love for beauty and his hand never lost its 
cunning ; and later, in hours of leisure, he painted 
portraits as strong and expressive as in his younger 
days. 



CHAPTER VII 

Achievements in Paris 

If we had time to trace all the events in Fulton's 
life during these busy years, they would tell us 
that the way to fame is by slow plodding. When 
we read about great men we ought to remember 
that they did not rise like rockets from the darkness 
but by slow, patient effort climbed into the light 
of fame. 

During the year 1797 Fulton was encouraged, 
by the acceptance of his plan to build a canal from 
Paris to Dieppe and Cambrai, to move from Eng- 
land to France. He had earlier visited France to 
study the art treasures in famous galleries, but 
his journey this time assumed quite another aspect, 
for the two countries had been at war for four 
years. At this time, however, they enjoyed a short 
armistice, or period of peace, and Fulton took the 
opportunity to obtain a passport from the Direc- 
tory, or French Governing Board. 

He began about this time to try to devise a way 
to end warfare between nations, — a dream en- 

62 



ACHIEVEMENTS IN PARIS 63 

joyed by many kindly men of this day, who have 
formed the Tribunal for Universal Peace at the 
Hague. With this thought in mind he planned to 
protect the seas, those vast waterways between 
continents. He urged Free Trade between nations, 
and wrote a paper on the subject to define his 
views. It shows how deeply he had studied that 
world-wide problem. 

The age in which Fulton lived provided the tools 
to shape his life. When a boy, he had heard of the 
horrors of battles during the War of the Revolution, 
and had experienced later the joys of peace. Ful- 
ton was an ardent Republican and believed in the 
right of a people to rule their nation. When 
Great Britain began to lay claim to "supremacy 
on the sea" the statesmen of America felt some 
alarm. Not only had their ships to fear naval 
prowess, but there were pirates, whose plunderings 
were related with horror. These conditions caused 
Fulton to realize that the highways of the oceans 
must be made safe so that all the nations of the 
world could live in peace without fear of one an- 
other. 

In 1798 Fulton wrote to a friend : 

" A free trade, or in other words, a free ocean, is partic- 
ularly Important to America. I would ask anyone if all 
the American difficulties during this war is not owing to the 



64 ROBERT FULTON 

Naval systems of Europe and a licensed Robbery on the 
ocean? how then is America to prevent this? Certainly 
not by attempting to build a fleet to cope with the fleets of 
Europe, but if possible by Rendering the European fleets 
useless." 

From the foregoing we learn the reason for the 
secret invention he had in mind during the years 
he spent in France. Robert Fulton planned to 
build a boat to descend beneath the water, which 
should carry masses of gunpowder to be placed 
wherever desired. These bombs, as we would 
call them, could be set by time-clocks so that they 
would later discharge their fire. We are familiar 
enough with submarines, now that they are in use 
in our own and other navies, but how impossible 
such a contrivance seemed in Fulton's day! He 
called his invention " torpedo," a name which has 
since been universally used for all such submarine 
vessels. He had his inspiration for the name from 
a strange fish of which he had read in the travels of 
Sir Thomas Herbert, where it was described as a 
"Torpaedo or Cramp Fish" which, when the ex- 
plorer and his companion took in their hands, 
alarmed them so greatly that they trembled; 
for "it let forth a cold breath upon them, so they 
would be so frightened that they would let it go." 
You will see that Fulton's strange boat, like this 



ACHIEVEMENTS IN PARIS 65 

fish, was to let forth a strange breath of fire upon its 
enemies. He chose the name well. 

This dreadful machine of war seemed indeed a 
curious instrument to bring peace. His plan was 
to manufacture so deadly a weapon of warfare 
that no nation would dare to enter into a battle 
on the seas. 

Fulton had to tarry three weeks at Calais before 
his passport arrived. With this he soon reached 
Paris. 

He found the city gay and happy, with all 
remembrance of warfare put away. 

He sought lodgings at an excellent hotel where 
he was fortunate in meeting an American gentle- 
man, Joel Barlow by name, and his wife. Between 
the three there arose a lifelong friendship of rare 
intimacy. Fulton was always happy in the selec- 
tion of friends, in this instance particularly, for 
Barlow was a man of considerable distinction in 
literature, statesmanship, and philosophy. Fulton 
was a young man of agreeable presence and attrac- 
tive manner and Mr. and Mrs. Barlow became 
greatly interested in him. When they moved 
into their own house, having no son of their own, 
they invited Fulton to live with them, and the 
friendship so strengthened that for seven years 
Fulton remained, almost as a son, in their home. 



66 ROBERT FULTON 

Mr. Barlow had been American Minister to 
Algiers, where he made important treaties and 
accomplished valuable diplomatic service in what 
was then a very difficult field. He was a man of 
wealth, and when released from office at the 
embassy, he moved to Paris where he could estab- 
lish a home and live among his books and papers ; 
for he was an industrious writer of political and 
historical essays. 

Barlow interested himself in strengthening the 
friendliness between the United States and France. 
He knew the great men of both countries and by 
his side Fulton found genuine inspiration. He 
immediately set himself to the task of making 
drawings and plans to secure a patent for his 
Inclined Plane for Canal Navigation, which was 
duly granted on the 14th of February, 1798, — a 
pleasant valentine ! 

Again Fulton wrote to Napoleon and to other 
great men describing the invention, — in fact, the 
emperor was to hear much of the American inventor 
from this time on. 

No sooner was he settled in Mr. Barlow's home 
than Fulton commenced the study of the French 
language, and later German and Italian. As his 
need arose, in the development of his inventions, 
he also studied higher mathematics, chemistry, 



ACHIEVEMENTS IN PARIS 67 

perspective drawing and physics. He was twenty- 
nine years of age at this time but was wise enough 
to know that "one is never too old to learn.' , 

Of course he needed money and naturally he 
took up his brush to earn it. About this time he 
painted several portraits, one a fine likeness of his 
good friend Joel Barlow. West had probably 
given him letters of introduction to the artists of 
Paris, for Fulton was soon at home among them. 
Vanderlyn made a charming pencil sketch of 
Fulton; and Houdon, the famous sculptor, who 
had visited America with Benjamin Franklin, 
carved a marble bust of Fulton which is now 
preserved in the Louvre. During the Hudson- 
Fulton Celebration, this bust was reproduced in 
bronze for the New York Historical Society and 
also for the Metropolitan Museum. 

The great men of the world are always the busiest. 
Fulton accomplished much during the fifty years 
of his life. He was never idle, and he made each 
day count for something. This is a good rule to 
remember, for so many days are likely to slip by 
without real result. The sum total of a life's 
work is only the mere addition of many so-called 
"small" duties. 

Fulton still remembered his dear old mother in 
the distant farm-home of Pennsylvania, and in 



68 ROBERT FULTON 

1799 sent her so delightful a letter, with a present 
of thirty-six guineas, that you will want to read 
this proof of his faithful affection ; and, perhaps, 
smile a little over his merry pleasantries about the 
French ladies, and his sturdy preference for the 
ladies of his own land. 

Paris, July 2, 1799. 
My dear Mother ; 

Still Europe holds me, not by ties of affection but by the 
bonds of business with which I am ever so much engaged 
that I have not had time even to fall in love: And now 
having arrived at the age of 32 years the ladies of my ac- 
quaintance, who, good creatures, are much concerned for my 
future happiness and honour, begin to fear that I shall die 
an Old bachelor; hence with eyes full of regard and the 
sweetest arguments they persuade me to avoid so miserable 
an end: In my own mind I have determined to avoid it 
but it is my intention to reserve all my affections for some 
amiable American whose customs and manners I prefer to 
anything I have yet seen in Europe. You will now ask 
when shall this be, — when will I return. This I will no 
longer promise because having promised frequently without 
being able to perform there is not much reliance in them : 
But still I hope the time is not distant when I will step into 
your little neat room, in one corner of which perhaps you 
have my picture, the only donation which I then had in my 
power to present, because being my own work it was at- 
tended with very little expense. 

But in this letter I send you thirty six pictures of the late 
King of France, known in America by the name of French 



ACHIEVEMENTS IN PARIS 69 

guineas ; these, my dear mother, I hope will be of use to you, 
and help to take some weight of cares off your weight of 
years. And each year I will endeavor to aid you in propor- 
tion to my circumstances. 

I am in excellent health, six feet high and thin; this 
being thin I think rather an advantage because it suffers 
(allows) a man to be active. I would not be loaded with 
the quantity of fat which some gentlemen are obliged to 
carry into company, not for their whole estate. . . . 

To Mr. Smith, my Sisters, Brothers in law and friends, 
remember me with love and friendship, and believe me 
everything which is right in an affectionate son, 

Robert Fulton. 

Fulton's mother died during this year, 1799, in 
the Pennsylvania farm-house, and it is doubtful 
whether his letter reached her. If it did, the 
thirty-six guineas, the "pictures of the late 
King of France, " and the happy letter, with its 
promise of home-coming, must have gladdened 
her heart. 

Before we take up the story of the submarine 
torpedo-boat work, — as difficult as that of his 
later invention of steam navigation, — let us 
recall another venture which Fulton made, along 
quite another line. Upon his arrival in Paris he 
had noticed the gayety and joyousness of the French 
and he decided to appeal to these happy people 
with a new form of amusement, a painted panorama. 



70 ROBERT FULTON 

It is only necessary to remind ourselves of the 
astounding popularity, in our day, of moving- 
pictures, to realize how fortunate Fulton was in 
his plan to amuse the people of Paris. A Scotch- 
man, Robert Barker, had painted a panorama of 
the city of Edinburgh, to exhibit in London in 
1789. Possibly Fulton had seen this exhibit, for it 
had proved highly successful; at any rate, he 
applied for a French patent, which was granted in 
April, 1799, to "Robert Fulton of the United 
States" for a term of ten years. 

Fulton's panorama was almost twice as large as 
the Scotchman's. He secured a plot of ground in a 
central part of the city, and built a loft, in circular 
shape, upon it. The queer-looking building at- 
tracted immediate attention. In it Fulton hung 
the huge canvas, and his industrious hand painted 
the startling scene, "The Destruction of Moscow/' 
a scene of pillage and devastation, such as Benjamin 
West had taught him to depict. The subject was 
attractive to the people, who were considering 
rumors of war, and they flocked in crowds to view 
the fiery representation. The entrance fee was 
a franc and a half, so money began to pour into 
Fulton's empty purse. So noted did the panorama 
become that a popular song of the day was sung in 
the streets extolling its excellence. One cannot 



ACHIEVEMENTS IN PARIS 71 

but wonder whether Fulton himself, perhaps at 
Barlow's suggestion, wrote the words to advertise 
the new amusement. 

We can almost fancy that we see and hear the 
care-free crowd, strolling through the street, where 
now an arcade called "Passage des Panoramas" 
marks the place, singing the popular air as they 
crowded to the door of entrance, just as people 
flock to-day to an inexpensive and novel entertain- 
ment. Fulton was indeed a clever man to have 
adapted Barker's London success to the people of 
the French capital. Here is one verse of the song, 
with its translation : 

" Paris pas plus grand que cela 
Jouit de succes legitime 
Un savant vous le montrera 
Pour un franc cinquante centimes 
Et tout le monde donne ou donnera 
Dans le pano, pano, panorama." 

(Paris more than any place 
Rejoices in a lawful success. 
A clever man will show it to you 
For one franc fifty centimes. 
And everybody goes or is going 
To the pano, pano, panorama.) 

This business venture proved very successful 
but Fulton was so busy with greater affairs that he 



72 ROBERT FULTON 

could not long give his personal attention to its 
supervision. In December of that year he sold 
the patent rights to an American who carried on 
the business for several years. Other scenes 
replaced the original "Moscow," possibly Fulton 
painted them ; at any rate, he kept an interest in 
the business, and in 1801 took out a second patent 
for improvements in panoramas. 

But Fulton longed to give to humanity some- 
thing better than mere amusement, — he wanted 
to help them with their work, to make traveling 
easier, and, if possible, to banish warfare, His 
experiences with his submarine torpedo-boat will 
be told in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER VIII 

Building the First Submarine 

And now Fulton began to build his submarine 
torpedo-boat and named it Nautilus, meaning a sea- 
shell. He wrote a letter to the French Directory 
and offered to submit his plan and explain his 
engine to Napoleon, whom he had heard was "a 
good engineer." 

The emperor was at the height of his power. 
With France and England at war, disturbed con- 
ditions prevailed throughout Europe and the 
unrest hindered all progress. Fulton offered to 
the French nation, through its governing body, 
his original weapon to secure their supremacy 
upon the seas throughout the world. 

His letters on the subject, which must have 
seemed like fairy-tales, fortunately are preserved 
in the archives of France. In one he asked to be 
authorized to build the engine he had invented and 
to try it against the English fleet. He himself 
promised to make the trial and asked no other 
compensation for labor extending over eighteen 

73 



74 ROBERT FULTON 

months than "the happiness of having contributed 
to the re-establishment of peace, the freedom of 
the seas and of commerce, and the consolidation 
of the Republic." 

The Directory appointed a committee to consider 
Fulton's novel plan ; they made a fairly favorable 
report, for, they said, "the inventor is no charla- 
tan, for he proposes to captain his engine himself 
and thus gives his head as a hostage for his success/' 

But after several years of experiment and trial, 
Fulton was still far from, finding acceptance of his 
plan. In 1797, when he began to devise it, he was 
possibly inspired by the work of an American, 
David Bushnell, of Connecticut, who had built a 
turtle-shaped boat to dive under water and attach 
an explosive to an enemy's boat. The device met 
with scant success in America, so Bushnell crossed 
to France, where he also failed to arouse interest. 

Fulton's invention was far more powerful and 
agile } if we may use the word. It could sail like 
a common boat on the water, then dive below and 
remain under the water at any depth for more 
than six hours at a time ; guided by a compass, it 
could move about with ease, and plant torpedoes 
where desired. Small wonder that the Frenchmen 
were slow to believe all the astonishing statements 
made in its favor by the enthusiastic inventor. 



BUILDING THE FIRST SUBMARINE 75 

But Fulton stood ready to prove them. During 
the years 1799 and 1800 he was busy demonstrat- 
ing the accomplishments of his novel craft. He 
launched it in July, 1800, and proceeded to make a 
series of experiments in the middle of the Seine 
where he could plunge twenty-five feet. He took two 
persons down with him and his tests were encourag- 
ing although the swift currents of the tide made 
him decide to remove the boat to Havre on the 
coast, where he could attempt feats in the open sea. 

His queer-looking boat, six feet wide and twenty 
feet long, was towed on two barges to Havre, where 
four days later it arrived and Fulton proceeded to 
put her through all sorts of " paces." The vessel 
responded to his every wish and he imagined that 
universal peace would result from the use of the new 
subduing agent, the torpedo. 

Great ideas move slowly, — their very immensity 
hinders quick progress. Fulton was under heavy 
expense in the building and testing of his strange 
boat. Barlow, who remained in Paris, wrote 
frequent letters of encouragement and forwarded 
drafts of money, profits which were Fulton's 
share in the earnings of the panorama. Repeated 
entreaties to the Directory finally gained attention, 
and Napoleon showed enough interest to appoint a 
committee to examine the queer-looking vessel. 



76 ROBERT FULTON 

To this committee Fulton eagerly explained his 
invention. He tells the story in simple language 
and it is so thrilling that a copy will prove inter- 
esting. He writes : 

Not having had time to busy myself with the drawings 
and description of the latest changes I have thought fit to 
make in my Nautilus, I take the liberty to recommend the 
model of it to your examination as the best means of en- 
abling you to judge of its form and combinations. 

Although having exact details of experiments, I shall 
limit myself to rendering here a succinct account of the 
most important of them : 

First Experiment: — The Nautilus is 20 feet long and 5 
in diameter and according to the calculations of Citizen 
Guyton it will contain a quantity of air sufficient for 3 men 
and a candle for three hours. 

Second Experiment: — On 24th of August, 1800, 1 plunged 
in the basin at Havre to the depth of 15 feet having with me 
two people and a lighted candle; we remained below the 
surface for the space of one hour without experiencing the 
slightest inconvenience. 

Third Experiment: — On August 25th I tried to manoeuvre 
the Nautilus by means of wings 4 feet diameter like the sails 
of a wind-mill ; to this end at first I placed on the bridge 
two men with oars; they took 7] minutes to row about 
192 yards, the length of the basin; then I ordered the same 
2 men to set the sails and in 4 minutes the Nautilus covered 
the distance to the starting place ; — I proved by this that 
the speed of sails to that of oars is about 2 to 1 and that 
these sails are very suitable to manoeuvre a boat under 
water. The success of this experiment has given me 



BUILDING THE FIRST SUBMARINE 77 

several new ideas which I hope will facilitate much the 
use of carcasses [iron cases] of powder or torpedoes. 

Fourth Experiment: — On the 26th of August I tried bal- 
ancing the Nautilus under water in such a way as to prevent 
it rising towards the surface or descending to the bottom, 
meanwhile advancing. This is executed by means of a 
pair of wings placed horizontally on the front of the Nautilus 
and which communicates with the interior. By turning 
these wings from left to right the Nautilus is made to 
descend below the water, in turning them from right to left, 
it is raised to the surface. My first trial was unfortunate, 
in not having placed the boat in the necessary trim in order 
that the wings could act. The next day I had a decided 
success and I kept my Nautilus below water at a depth of 
about 5 feet whilst it covered a distance of 192 yards, about 
from one end of the basin to the other. This day I made 
several movements under water and I observed that the 
Compass acts as well under water as at the surface. The 
three people who have been my companions during these 
experiments are so familiarized with the Nautilus and have 
so much confidence at present in the movements of this 
machine that they undertake without the least concern 
these aquatic excursions. 

Having thus assured myself of the ease of immersion and 
submersion of the Nautilus and all its movements as well 
as the effect on the compass, on the 27th of August I half 
filled an ordinary barrel and placed it at anchor in the har- 
bour at about 426 yards from the jetty ; — I seated myself 
then in an ordinary boat at the distance of about 160 yards 
and placed in the sea a torpedo containing about 30 lb. 
of powder; the torpedo was attached to a small rope 200 
yards long ; the current going under the barrel, the torpedo 



78 ROBERT FULTON 

passed without touching it; but turning the helm of the 
boat in which I sat, I made it go obliquely till I saw the 
torpedo exactly under the barrel; I then drew back the 
cable till at last the torpedo touched the barrel; at that 
instant the battery went off, the powder exploded and the 
barrel was reduced to fragments being lost in a column of 
water 10 feet in diameter that the explosion threw into the 
air to the height of 60 or 80 feet. 

On the 12th of September I left Havre for La Hogue and 
in this little voyage my Nautilus sometimes did a league and 
a half (4^ miles) per hour and I had the pleasure of seeing 
it ride the waves like an ordinary boat. 

On the 15th of September I put into a little harbour 
called Growan near Isigny at 3 leagues from the islands of 
Marcou. The next day the equinoctial gales commenced 
and lasted 25 days. During the time I tried twice to ap- 
proach two English brigs which were anchored near one of 
the islands, but both times, whether by accident or design, 
they set sail and were quickly at a distance. During one 
of these trials I remained during the whole of one tide of 
6 hours absolutely under water, having for the purpose of 
taking air only a little tube which could not be perceived at 
a distance of 400 yards. 

The weather being bad I remained 35 days at Growan 
and seeing that no English vessel returned, and that winter 
approached, besides my Nautilus not being constructed to 
resist bad weather, I resolved to return to Paris and place 
under the eyes of Government the result of my experiments. 

In the course of these experiments there has come to me 
a crowd of ideas infinitely more simple than the means that 
I have employed hitherto and in an enterprise so new and 
without precedent one ought to expect that new ideas should 



BUILDING THE FIRST SUBMARINE 79 

present themselves, tending to simplify the execution of the 
great object in view. 

As to myself, I look upon the most difficult part of the 
work as done. Navigation under water is an operation whose 
possibility is proved, and it can be said that a new series of 
ideas have just been born as to the means for preventing 
naval wars or rather of hindering them in the future; it 
is a germ which only demands for its developement the en- 
couragement and support of all friends of science, of justice 
and of society. 

Health and respect, 

(Nov. 7th 1801.) Robert Fulton. 

It is almost beyond belief that Fulton had been 
able, in so short a time, to bring to such perfection 
an invention of such great importance, yet fraught 
with so much danger. The recital of his voyage 
on the high seas, at war-time, together with his 
plunging experiments, proves that he possessed 
real heroism. The navy of England had received 
private news of the invention and the sailors were 
on their guard, so it is easy to realize why the 
brigs "set sail and were quickly at a distance." 
Fulton had become well known in both warring 
countries and was accounted a power to be reckoned 
with. 

Fulton offered personally to command the 
Nautilus and to teach the French navy the art of 
the new warfare, as well as to build such submarine 



80 ROBERT FULTON 

boats as Napoleon would authorize. He asked 
that he might employ as co-workers the three men 
he had already taught; and they, by the way, 
must have been courageous indeed to engage in so 
novel and dangerous an enterprise. 

But the contract "backed and filled" in tan- 
talizing delay to the ardent inventor. Fulton had 
a personal interview with Napoleon and tried to 
persuade him to adopt the new plan; but no im- 
mediate response resulted ; finally, after hope long 
deferred and repeated letters and visits to the 
embassy, Fulton received a letter from the Minister 
of the Marine, bearing the good news that Napoleon 
had accepted Fulton's proposition; that 10,000 
francs had been placed to his credit to repair the 
Nautilus, build auxiliaries, and convey his unusual 
fleet, at his own expense, to Brest, where he could 
engage in warfare against the enemy. 

From that time, March 28th, 1801, to May, 
Fulton was busy with the novel enterprise. The 
Nautilus was overhauled and conveyed to Brest, 
mounted on a long cart drawn by horses. How 
the boys and girls of the villages through which 
the queer boat passed must have gazed and won- 
dered! Finally it reached the dockyard at Brest, 
and after two months of fitting Fulton was ready 
to attempt an attack on the enemy. But again 



BUILDING THE FIRST SUBMARINE 81 

the English seamen were too wary to be surprised. 
Fulton spent an anxious summer but could find 
no vessel within reach of possible attack. 

However, he conducted a series of successful 
experiments, and, in the presence of several in- 
fluential officials, he blew up a large sloop, destroy- 
ing it so completely that nothing was left but the 
buoy and cable. He was able to report that he 
had proved his boat could 

Sail like a common boat, 
Obtain air and light, 
Plunge and Rise perpendicular, 
Turn to the right and left at pleasure, 
Steer by the compass under water, 
Renew the common volume of air with ease 
And add the respirable air, by a reservoir, which may be 
obtained at all times. 

Although the invention proved successful, it was 
exercised for only eight months. On the first of 
October the Minister of the Marine resigned his 
office, and his successor, a French admiral of the 
old-school, declined to listen to or forward any 
new-fangled ideas. ^How disappointed Fulton must 
have been after his three years of hard work and his 
unquenchable faith in the power of his project. 
The Treaty of Peace, signed at Amiens in 1802, 
brought a welcome end to warfare, and Fulton 



82 ROBERT FULTON 

realized that the nations had no present need for 
his weapon of naval destruction. 

But Fulton did not forget France and the interest 
Napoleon had shown, even after his return to his 
own country. In 1811, the Boston Weekly Messen- 
ger, of Friday, November 15th, contained the 
following amusing letter in rhyme, addressed to 
Napoleon's infant son, the King of Rome. Perhaps 
it was a diplomatic move to interest Bonaparte 
through a recognition of his tiny heir ; perhaps it 
was merely written in jest and never crossed the 
seas. But here it is, in part, for our amusement. 

Great King, two years ago I wrote 
To Lord Marbois a civil note, 
Which he ne'er answered, like a bear, 
So now I send my modest prayer 
To your dread throne, or stool, or chair. 

The plan, my lord, which I have hit on 
Will quite destroy the pride of Britain ; 
The great torpedoes I prepare 
Will blow her ships up in the air, 
And every man-of-war will soon 
Ascend just like a vast balloon. 
In half a day one thousand men 
Would scatter all the ships you ken, 
Would clear the Channel and do over 
All between Calais port and Dover ; 
Thus in two years, Sir, might be seen 
The end of England's proud marine ; 



BUILDING THE FIRST SUBMARINE 83 

And then that Isle, without a doubt, 

Puffed like a farthing rush-light out, 

Instead of reigning o'er the waves 

Would only furnish France with slaves. 

How glorious then were such a thing 

To grace your annals, mighty king ! 

And (turn it over in your mind) 

How happy 'twere for all mankind, 

And more, (but that's a thing between us) 

How worthy of your daddy's genius ; 

This business will be done — this blow up 

Take place, great Monarch, ere you grow up. 

Reflect, Sir, powder was invented : 

And then, Sir, you must feel contented. 

Now, Sir, soon as the haughty foe 

Shall feel a meditated blow, 

Their ships, perhaps, they will abandon, 

That you with ease their coasts may land on ; 

Or, England, if I don't befriend her, 

May quickly all her fleets surrender. 

Now rendered master of the seas, 
You may let ports out as you please ; 
These can be rented, understand, 
Just as some kingdoms are on land ; 
England, then prostrate at your feet, 
For peace, on any terms, may treat ; 
Be this your language firm and bold, 
"While yet the brand of war I hold, 
As you are most completely beaten, 
This basis only will I treat on — 
That you, without the least delay, 
Two millions to Bob Fulton pay." 



CHAPTER IX 

Building the First Steamboat 

For the time England and France were at peace. 
No need now for weapons of warfare, so Fulton set 
aside his plan for submarine torpedo-boats and 
began to devote his attention to an idea of greater 
importance, — the invention of a steamboat. 

The thought was not new to him for he had 
pondered over it since 1793 when he had submitted 
a description of an original model to Lord Stanhope. 
Now he bent all his energies to the task and com- 
menced a series of new experiments. 

He made many sketches of engines, paddles and 
boats. Some are yet in existence, notably one 
made June 5th, 1802. It bears a pen-drawing of a 
steamboat, with side paddle-wheels, a forward 
smokestack, a covered cabin amidships, with upper 
deck occupied by imaginary passengers, a pointed 
bow and a square stern, — not in reality the shape 
of the later product of his skill, but a fanciful 
sketch of the form then in mind. How far ahead 
his imagination darted, in time and space, may be 

84 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 85 

seen from the inscription, "The Steamboat from 
New York to Albany in 12 hours." It was a brave 
prediction ! 

In 1804, when General Armstrong was appointed 
Minister to France, he lived in the house formerly 
occupied by Joel Barlow; and upon the walls of 
Fulton's room he found plans of steamboats 
sketched, as a panorama. Even then the thought 
had so taken possession of Fulton's mind that 
he lived with it day and night. 

By this time Fulton was recognized by thought- 
ful men as a power to be considered. At Barlow's 
hospitable home Fulton enjoyed the opportunity 
of making friends among prominent men; and 
during 1801 there arrived in Paris, as Minister 
Plenipotentiary of the United States, Chancellor 
Robert R. Livingston, a noted American statesman 
and lawyer. The meeting between Fulton and 
Livingston, at Barlow's table, proved important. 
Mr. Livingston's keen intellect had already recog- 
nized the importance of providing boats with steam 
power. Indeed, he himself had experimented in 
the matter, and had caused an Act to be passed by 
the Legislature in 1798 granting to himself "the 
exclusive right and privilege of navigating all kinds 
of boats which might be propelled by the force of 
steam or fire, on all waters of the state of New 



86 ROBERT FULTON 

York, for the term of twenty years from the passage 
of the Act; upon consideration that he should 
within a twelve-month build such a boat, the mean 
of whose progress should not be less than four 
miles an hour." 

The Act was passed but Livingston's steamboat 
was not a success. The trial boat, of thirty tons' 
burden, built by the Chancellor's orders by an 
Englishman named Nesbit, near Tivoli on the 
Hudson, failed to run! When the Chancellor 
met Robert Fulton, this clean-cut, energetic young 
countryman who had built a much-talked-of 
submarine torpedo-boat recognized by Napoleon, 
he thought, "Here is the clever man whom I am 
seeking!" It is characteristic of great men to 
notice the mental worth of others and enlist it in 
their cause, whatever it may be. And Livingston 
quickly learned the rare capacity of Fulton. 

There could have been no stronger combination 
than the partnership of these two men, formally 
enacted at Paris, in October, 1802. The original 
agreement is signed "Robert R. Livingston of the 
state of New York, and Robert Fulton of the state 
of Pennsylvania." 

Fulton's part of the contract was : 

1st : To build a boat one hundred and twenty feet 
long, eight feet wide, to draw fifteen inches of 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 87 

water, to navigate the Hudson River between New 
York and Albany, at a speed of eight miles an hour 
and to carry sixty passengers, allowing two hundred 
pounds' weight per passenger. 

2d : To secure a patent, in the name of Robert 
Fulton ; to deposit every necessary drawing, model 
and specification, and the patent property when 
granted was to be divided in value into one hundred 
shares, half of which should be owned by each 
partner, and all profits equally shared. 

3d: To go to England to construct an experi- 
mental boat, — if possible borrowing an engine, — 
the cost of such boat, five hundred pounds English 
currency, to be provided by Livingston. If the 
boat failed of success, Fulton was to repay half 
the sum with seven per cent interest added ; if it 
succeeded, Fulton was to go to America, obtain a 
patent, and build a boat; his "reasonable ex- 
penses" to be part of the general expense. 

The contract continued as follows : 

4th : When the work is finished, either partner 
may dispose of, or sell, any number of shares less 
than forty, but the purchasers, or shareholders, 
are to have no vote in the management of the 
business. All extensions to be paid from revenue 
received, and the profits equally divided twice a 
year. 



SS ROBERT FULTON 

5th: The partnership is to continue while the 
patent lasts, that is, fourteen years, or as long a 
term as it extends; at its close, all boats, ware- 
houses and other property to belong to the share- 
holders. 

6th: If Fulton or Livingston die before the 
termination of the patent, each heir or assign, hold- 
ing twenty shares, shall become an active partner 
with power to act. 

7th : Livingston reserves the right to withdraw 
from the partnership any time after his rive hundred 
pounds have been spent in the first experiment, but 
is to be considered a partner until he sends notice 
in writing to Fulton. 

It is evident that the document was drawn by 
Livingston, who certainly made a good bargain. 
The sole responsibility he took upon himself was 
the investment of five hundred pounds — twenty- 
five hundred dollars — with a return of one-half 
the amount, plus seven per cent interest, if Fulton 
failed to provide the invention. On the other 
hand, he was entitled to receive dividends as long 
as the patent rights could be extended, if the in- 
vention proved, as it did, financially productive. 

For practical reasons, Fulton decided to build his 
trial boat in Paris, instead of going over to England. 
This decision was probably made when he found 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 89 

that he could borrow, or rent, an engine. Fulton 
had to consider expense, for he had spent the money 
he received from the Panorama upon his torpedo- 
boats; and his active mind conceived such vast 
schemes that they seemed too costly to all his 
friends, except Barlow ; at times, even he advised 
against too great ventures. On July 26th he 
prudently wrote as follows : 

"My project would be that you pass directly over to 
England silent and steady, make Chapman construct an 
engine of 12 inches, while you are building a boat of pro- 
portionate size. Make the experiments on that scale all 
quiet and quick. If it answers, put the machinery on board 
a vessel and go directly to New York, (ordering another 
engine as large as you please to follow you) then secure your 
patent and begin your operation, first small and then large. 
I think I will find you the funds without any noise for the 
first operation in England and if it promises well you will 
get as many funds and friends in America as you want. 
I should suggest a small operation first, for several reasons; 
it can be made without noise ; you can easier find funds for 
a small experiment," etc. 

After the contract was signed there was no 
hesitation on the part of Fulton; he plunged at 
once into the task he had anticipated for many 
years. As early as 1 793 he had written to his friend 
Lord Stanhope, giving his first thoughts on the 
subject, — one part of his long letter will be enough 



90 ROBERT FULTON 

to quote here; it is of special interest because it 
shows that Fulton looked to nature to suggest a 
practical plan : 

"In June, '93 I begun the experiments on the steam- 
ship ; my first design was to imitate the spring in the tail of 
a Salmon — for this purpose I supposed a large bow to be 
wound up by the steam engine and the collected force, 
attached to the end of a paddle — to be let off which would 
urge the vessel forward." 

This accords with an old newspaper clipping 
which states that "the first rough model of a 
steamboat made by Fulton in New York was cut 
out of a shingle, shaped like a mackerel, with the 
paddles placed further in front than behind, like 
the fins of a fish." 

Of course these "natural propellers" gave ideas 
to the inventor ; he noticed that a fish with round, 
unbroken tail is a slow swimmer, while those which 
have deeply indented tails, like the mackerel, 
can make far greater speed in swimming. 

Fulton experimented for nine years before find- 
ing the best method ; he did not stumble upon the 
plan, but patiently worked it out, learning through 
each successive test — all noted and recorded, — 
the correct ratio to establish between the size of 
the boat and the power of the machinery. 

During the early spring the boat was finished 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 91 

and looked so promising that Livingston wrote to 
friends in America to enact an extension to himself 
and Fulton, jointly, for the exclusive right to 
operate steamboats on the waters of New York 
State for twenty years, provided the boat could be 
produced within two years. Later this time was 
extended. 

Success seemed certain to both Fulton and 
Livingston. The strange boat was launched upon 
the river Seine; the borrowed engine of eight- 
horse power was installed; the copper boiler was 
in place, — and the partners, disregarding the 
jeering remarks of ignorant bystanders, were 
hopeful and happy in anticipation of the trial trip 
which was set for an early date. 

Naturally, the new invention was talked over by 
the wise men of the city who wandered to the dock- 
yard to view the queer-looking boat. It is said 
that Prince Tallyrand, during a dinner at Mr. 
Barlow's home, sat beside Robert Fulton and was 
charmed by his pleasant manner. Fulton's topic 
of conversation — we can imagine his pleasure in 
the subject — was his invention of the steamboat 
upon which he was then at work ; and his hope that 
the submarine torpedo-boat would end all naval 
warfare and bring universal peace. The Prince 
listened politely but later confessed his sadness in 



92 ROBERT FULTON 

realizing that the agreeable young American was 
mad or he would not devote his time to such im- 
possible schemes! To many Fulton's dream 
seemed utterly vain. 

This idea gained strength by the disaster which 
befell the steamboat just before the time set for 
her trial trip. She was completed; and Fulton, 
too excited to sleep although wearied by long 
labor, restlessly awaited the day to dawn when he 
could prove her success. During the night a great 
storm broke over Paris; the rain fell in torrents 
accompanied by heavy winds. At daybreak Ful- 
ton was aroused by a breathless messenger whose 
anxious face and haste betokened bad news. He 
was the watchman in charge of the precious inven- 
tion. He rushed into Fulton's bedroom, with the 
exclamation : 

"Oh, sir, the boat has broken in pieces and gone 
to the bottom of the river!" 

Fulton arose in dismay, hastily dressed, and 
rushed to the scene. The news was all too true ! 
The boat, too weak in structure to bear the heavy 
machinery, buffeted by the high waves and heavy 
winds, had broken in the middle, depositing the 
valuable engine and other machinery in the river. 
Nothing was in sight above the water ! 

Fulton later confessed to a dismay never felt at 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 93 

any other time. Many a man, at this point, 
would have given up the whole project in despair. 
But this crisis of apparent failure was the moment 
for Fulton's strength of character to assert itself. 
After months of labor the borrowed engine and 
Mr. Livingston's money seemed forever lost. 
But Fulton set himself to the task of making the 
best of this disappointment. He wasted not a 
moment in vain regret, but without going back to 
his home for breakfast, he began, with his own 
hands, to try and rescue the boat. For twenty- 
four hours he worked, without food or rest, until — 
wet and weary but triumphant — he recovered 
the machinery and engine. They were found to 
be little hurt, although the boat itself was a total 
wreck. But, alas, Fulton paid a heavy penalty 
for over-taxing his strength; for a permanent 
weakness of the lungs, from which he never fully 
recovered, resulted from the exposure and long 
struggle in the water to save his precious invention. 
At no moment in his life did he display such fine 
courage as at this time of apparent failure. 

Fulton immediately began to build another 
boat, in which he placed the recovered machinery. 
By the month of July he was again ready to show 
his friends and the French scientists the working- 
power of his invention. 



94 ROBERT FULTON 

Mr. Fulner Skipwith was then our Consul- 
General in Paris. He was interested in the idea 
of steam navigation, and during the preceding 
year had sent a letter of inquiry regarding it to 
Robert Fulton, who gladly answered his questions. 
Mr. Skipwith had married in Paris, while Fulton 
was busy with his torpedo experiments on the 
French coast, and the Consul-General's first child 
was born during the spring of 1803. This ac- 
counts for the merry letter of invitation which 
Fulton sent him on July 24th. 

Mr. Skipwith; 
My dear Friend, 

You have experienced all the anxiety of a fond father on 
a child's coming into the world. So have I. Your little 
cherub, now plump as a partridge, advances to the per- 
fection of her nature and each day presents some new charm. 
I wish mine may do the same. Some weeks hence, when you 
will be sitting in one corner of the room and Mrs. Skipwith 
in the other learning the little creature to walk, the first 
unsteady step will scarcely balance the tottering frame; 
but you will have the pleasing perspective of seeing it grow 
to a steady walk and then to dancing. I wish mine may do 
the same. My "boy," who is all bones and corners, just 
like his daddy and whose birth has given me much un- 
easiness, or rather, anxiety, — is just learning to walk and 
I hope in time he will be an active runner. I therefore have 
the honour to invite you and the ladies to see his first move- 
ments on Monday next from 6 till 9 in the evening between 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 95 

the Barriere des Bons Hommes and the steam-engine. 
May our children, my friend, be an honour to their country 
and a comfort to the grey hairs of their doting parents. 

Yours, 

R. Fulton. 

You see Fulton considered his boat as a son, as 
dear and as promising ! 

This second time the boat did not disappoint 
him. In the presence of the invited guests, it moved 
successfully forth from the dock and steamed its 
way along the river, receiving the applause and 
admiration of the group of friends assembled by 
Fulton and Livingston. A public trial followed 
about two weeks later and a newspaper of the day 
described it so fully that a translation is here 
printed : 

On the 9th of August, 1803, a trial was made of a new 
invention and its complete and brilliant success should 
have important consequences upon the commerce and 
internal navigation of France. During the past two or 
three months there has been seen at the end of the quay 
Chaillot, a boat of curious appearance, equipped with two 
large wheels, mounted on an axle like a chariot, while behind 
these wheels was a kind of large stove with a pipe, as if 
there were some kind of a small fire engine intended to 
operate the wheels of the boat. Several weeks ago some 
evil-minded persons threw this structure down. The builder, 
having repaired this damage, received, the day before 



96 ROBERT FULTON 

yesterday, a most flattering reward for his labour and 
talent. 

At six o'clock in the evening, aided by only three persons, 
he put his boat in motion, with two other boats in tow behind 
it, and for an hour and a half he afforded the curious spec- 
tacle of a boat moved by wheels like a chariot, these wheels 
being provided with paddles or flat plates, and being moved 
by a fire engine. 

In following it along the quay, the speed against the 
current of the Seine appeared to us about that of a rapid 
pedestrian, while in going down-stream it was more rapid ; 
it was manoeuvred with facility, turning to the right and 
left, came to anchor, started again, and passed by the 
swimming-school. 

One of the boats took to the quay a number of savants 
. . . who will make a report which will give to this dis- 
covery all the praise which it deserves ; for this mechanism 
applied to our rivers, the Seine, the Loire, and the Rhone, 
should result most advantageously to our internal naviga- 
tion. The tows of barges which now require four months 
to come from Nantes to Paris, would arrive promptly in 
10 to 15 days. The author of this brilliant invention is 
Monsieur Fulton, an American and a celebrated mechanician. 

Napoleon's watchful eye was upon Fulton for he 
wrote on July 21st to the Councillor of State in the 
Department of the Marine as follows : 

"I have just read the project of Citizen Fulton 
which you have sent me much too late in that it 
may change the face of the world. However that 
may be, I desire you immediately to confide its 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 97 

examination to a commission of members chosen 
by you from among the different classes of the 
Institute. It is here that learned Europe would 
seek for judges to solve the question under con- 
sideration. As soon as the report is made it will 
be sent to you and you will forward it to me. Try 
and let the whole matter be determined within a 
week as I am impatient." 

We may be sure that Fulton welcomed the ques- 
tions of these learned men, and sent them "an 
invitation to see the experiment of a boat ascending 
the stream by means of a steam engine," as their 
records show. He had previously made an offer 
to Napoleon to convey his troops to England for 
an attack, saying : 

"The sea which separates you from your enemy gives 
him an immense advantage over you. Aided in turn by the 
winds and the tempests he defies you from his inaccessible 
island. I have it in my power to cause this obstacle which 
protects him to disappear. In spite of all his fleets and in 
any weather I can transport your armies to his territory in a 
few hours, without fear of the tempests and without depend- 
ing upon the winds. I am prepared to submit my plans." 

No wonder Napoleon was impatient to learn 
more about Fulton and willingly admitted that his 
invention might " change the face of the world." 
Bignon, the French historian, wrote in 1829 that 



98 ROBERT FULTON 

had Napoleon listened to Fulton this important 
letter might have changed the history of Europe. 
He supposes that had there existed a single steam- 
boat in France at that time, the workshops would 
have immediately been busied in ' multiplying 
the original.' In a few years one or two hundred 
steamships, towing behind them transports filled 
with soldiers, would have been ready with their 
leader for the boldest of enterprises. Bignon 
declared that the men and the times alike were 
ready for the novelty. England would have been 
forced to submit to the terms of peace laid down 
by France. "Thus may the fate of nations depend 
upon a new idea ; thus nature conceals within her 
bosom many unknown forces of which a single 
one is sufficient to change the destiny of the 
world." 

But Napoleon did not embrace the opportunity. 
His secretary said that when he presented Fulton's 
memorial to him he exclaimed disdainfully, 
" Bah ! Away with your visionists ! " 

And Bignon, who took the trouble later to talk 
with the members of Napoleon's commission, said 
that they excused their lack of appreciation by the 
statement that Fulton's plan was accompanied by a 
number of " foolish ideas" which obscured their 
view of the great underlying truth. "Put not your 



BUILDING THE FIRST STEAMBOAT 99 

trust in scientists/ ' exclaims Bignon, in the light 
of Fulton's success. 

However, Lord Acton, the English authority 
upon this period of the world's history, when asked 
what event he considered of greatest importance 
in the 19th century, replied, "The sinking of Ful- 
ton's boat on the Seine," meaning that accident 
alone turned Napoleon from its acceptance. 

The words of several historians prove that the 
sunny day when Fulton's steamboat voyaged back 
and forth upon the waters of the Seine, riding in 
triumph over the hidden wreck of its ill-fated pred- 
ecessor, was really a great moment in French 
history ! 

Fulton was master of its movement and su- 
premely happy in his accomplishment . He saw, with 
unshaken faith, as it is easy for us to see to-day, 
in a review of the history of the past century, that 
his twice-built boat on the river Seine was the fore- 
runner of all the gigantic fleets of steamboats 
which now ride upon the waters of the world. 



CHAPTER X 

In Holland and England 

I have said that Fulton gave up his art, but only 
as a profession, for during the years he spent with 
Mr. and Mrs. Barlow he painted not only the 
panorama but several fine portraits. He made two 
oil portraits of Barlow, one as a gift to him, the 
other to keep for himself ; as is proved by the fact 
that one is now owned, through inheritance, by a 
member of the Barlow family, the other by a 
descendant of Fulton. He mentions in a letter 
having painted a portrait of Mrs. Barlow, but this 
cannot now be found. 

Joel Barlow had been engaged for some years in 
writing a long epic poem, "The Columbiad" ; a 
review of Columbus's discovery and the coloniza- 
tion of America ; the establishment of the republic ; 
the habits of the Indian inhabitants ; the gradual 
growth of American welfare and peace. It was a 
long recital, in lofty sentences. Columbus, the 
discoverer, was the hero, pining in a foreign prison 
when Hesper, the evening star, enters his cell. 

IOO 



IN HOLLAND AND ENGLAND ioi 

In thought she leads the captive to a mount of 
vision and unrolls upon a screen all that has hap- 
pened and all that shall happen in the land Colum- 
bus discovered. The theme was vast and proved a 
pleasant and prolonged study for both Barlow and 
Fulton. The latter was so inspired by the flowing 
stanzas that he made twelve illustrations which 
were skilfully engraved for the large volume, 
published in 1807, at an outlay of nearly five thou- 
sand dollars. This was generously defrayed by 
Fulton to show his appreciation of Barlow's many 
kindnesses. 

The poem did not meet with much success. 
Public appreciation failed to crown it with ap- 
proval; but as an example of loyal and generous 
affection between friends it will always command 
interest. 

We now come to an interesting turn in the tide 
of Fulton's affairs. He had proved that the 
steamboat would run upon the waters of the Seine ; 
he had entered into a partnership with Chancellor 
Livingston to go to New York to build a boat for 
traffic on the Hudson River between New York 
and Albany ; but the agreement, you remember, 
included Fulton's return to England to order a 
suitable engine. 

Accordingly, Fulton wrote a letter to Boulton 



102 ROBERT FULTON 

& Watt, at that time the most famous engine- 
makers in the world, and inquired the price of the 
engine for which he sent a descriptive drawing. 
He wanted only parts of the machinery, — the 
cylinder of twenty-four horse-power, the piston- 
rod and piston, the valves and movements for 
their opening and shutting; the air-pump and 
condenser ; all the other parts, he explained, could 
be made in New York, a as they require a particular 
arrangement which must be done while I am 
present." 

He had to get a permit to export the engine, so 
Fulton asked the builders to ship the engine to 
Mr. Brockholst Livingston, through the American 
Consul, in whose hands he placed the money for 
payment. He said that if any difficulty arose 
about getting the permit, he would seek it through 
the American Minister, James Monroe. 

Boulton & Watt's reply appears to have been 
disappointing, for a month later Fulton wrote to 
repeat the order and asked haste in its fulfilment, 
as "communication between France and England 
is daily growing more difficult." Four weeks later 
the engine-builders declined the order, as they could 
not get permission to export the machinery. This 
was certainly discouraging, as France and England 
were again declaring war against each other; but 



IN HOLLAND AND ENGLAND 103 

Fulton traveled over to Holland, and wrote from 
there to Mr. Monroe, asking his assistance, and 
adding : 

, . . "Your desire to see useful arts introduced or created 
in our country is the strongest reason for your urging the 
permission and accepting no refusal; the fact is I cannot 
establish the Boat without the engine. The question is 
then — shall we or shall we not have such boats?" 

At the same time Fulton sent a second entreaty 
to Boulton & Watt, telling them of his request of 
Mr. Monroe, and renewing the order. He says, 
"It gives me pain to trouble you on a business so 
insignificant, but I have no confidence in any other 
engines, and hope you will give me the necessary 
information on the Boiler and other parts so as to 
produce the best effect. I wish exceedingly to be 
obliged by you." 

But no reply came to either of these letters, and 
Fulton's plan for the American steamboat seemed 
doomed to disappointment. Again he wrote to 
Mr. Monroe, but the diplomat probably hesitated 
to ask for a permit officially refused to an English 
firm of established reputation, and in behalf of an 
American enthusiast, already under watch ¥ by 
naval authorities. For the British had kept in- 
formed concerning Fulton's submarine torpedo- 
boats, and at the suggestion of the English states- 



104 ROBERT FULTON 

man, Lord Stanhope, they thought it best to have 
Fulton on their side of the channel. Accordingly, 
Lord Sidmouth, then Prime Minister, contrived a 
meeting with Fulton in Paris and persuaded him to 
take the trip to Holland, where, on neutral ground, 
he could confer with a representative of the British 
government. 

Fulton thus described the meeting: " About 
this time, May, 1803, there was a gentleman in 
London, Dr. Gregory, who had known me in Paris 
for some years. I had many conversations with 
him upon my inventions and their probable suc- 
cess." It was this Dr. Gregory whom Lord 
Sidmouth sent to talk to the inventor. 

Fulton described his invention to Dr. Gregory 
and offered to put the English government in full 
possession of the combinations and movements of 
submarine torpedo-boats, so that any good engineer 
could make and navigate them ; he also promised 
full directions for making submarine bombs and 
to explain the many ways to use them. 

Dr. Gregory asked Fulton to go to Holland to 
await a reply. He promised to bring it in person, 
passing, for political reasons, under the assumed 
name "Smith." For three months Fulton waited 
in Amsterdam, until "Mr. Smith" arrived in 
December with unsatisfactory proposals from the 



IN HOLLAND AND ENGLAND 105 

government. Fulton declined these, but drew 
up another form of proposal for "Mr. Smith" to 
take back to England. Then Fulton returned to 
Paris. 

The following March "Mr. Smith" arrived in 
Paris with a letter from Lord Hawksbury ; it was 
encouraging ; and Fulton decided to go to London 
to consider an engagement by the British govern- 
ment. 

Busy days followed as Fulton made ready to 
take his final farewell of France. Barlow also was 
about to return to America, to spend his last days 
in peaceful retirement. Before leaving, Fulton 
packed a great number of his drawings and papers 
in a large box to ship to America ; but the vessel 
was wrecked at sea and the box, when finally 
recovered, was so wet that much of the writing 
was impossible to decipher. Cadwallader Colden, 
who wrote the first life of Fulton, laments this 
accident and gives it as the chief reason that so 
little is known of Fulton's life in England and 
France. But by the light of many gathered facts, 
the story of the years has been pieced together. 

Napoleon was ready to declare himself emperor, 
and this took place on May 18th, 1804. This act 
was a disappointment to Fulton who had hoped 
that the French Revolution would result in the 



io6 ROBERT FULTON 

formation of a republic. He and Barlow were 
both glad to leave Paris at this time. Indeed, 
Fulton's contract with Livingston necessitated his 
trip to England to get the engine, so the overtures 
of the British statesmen came just at the right 
time. Rebuffed and disappointed, after years of 
waiting for Napoleon's recognition of his plans, 
Fulton, as a neutral, had perfect liberty to transfer 
his interests as well as himself to another country. 
He embarked for England in May, and in due 
season reached London. 



CHAPTER XI 

Experiments with a Submarine 

Lord Hawksbury wrote Fulton, "If you should 
be disposed to accept active employment from the 
British government, you may rely on the most 
liberal treatment and recompense proportioned to 
your efficient service." No wonder that Fulton 
departed happily from France. 

Arriving in London, he established himself in 
lodgings and tried once more to order the engine 
for the American boat ; he also tried to induce the 
British Ministry to accept his submarine torpedo. 
As his work in France had been publicly known, 
he signed his letters to the English statesmen 
"Robert Francis," an assumed name which was no 
secret to the English but served to protect the 
torpedo project from the notice of French spies, 
should there be any. 

At Boulogne, Napoleon was gathering his army 
for a possible invasion of England. France, 
enriched fifteen million dollars by the American 
purchase of Louisiana, was prepared to strike a new 

107 



108 ROBERT FULTON 

blow. History made rapidly during those days; 
maps and ruling powers were changing. Fulton 
swung his energies to a fresh scene of action at a 
crucial time. 

He was indeed "playing with fire." Fulton's 
danger during his submarine experiments in the 
harbor of Brest, was small compared with the risk 
he would run should he fall into the hands of the 
French while using torpedoes against them. Ful- 
ton had been told by Napoleon's commission that 
any one employing such weapons of destruction 
would certainly be hung if captured by the enemy ; 
how much greater the likelihood now if France 
found the spurned machines effectively turned 
against Napoleon's troops. 

For so it was. Fulton was in England only two 
days when he proposed to the Ministry a practical 
trial of his plunging vessel, describing it as 
thirty-five feet long, having power to sail like an 
ordinary fishing-boat, with a capacity for machin- 
ery and provisions for six persons for twenty days 
at sea, capable of plunging and remaining three 
hours under water without aid. When necessary 
to renew air, the boat need not appear above the 
water, but approaching the surface, could project 
two tubes, one to discharge the foul air already 
breathed, the other to take in fresh air, accomplish- 



» 



EXPERIMENTS WITH A SUBMARINE 109 



ing the change in two minutes, when the boat 
could plunge again to remain another three hours 
below. 

In this manner he promised that a crew could 
conceal themselves under water during a day of 
twelve hours, on renewing the air three times, and 
could remain many days in the neighborhood of an 
enemy without detection. 

He proposed a submarine expedition to destroy 
the French fleets at Boulogne and Brest "as they 
now lie." It was a daring plan, but Fulton ad- 
mitted no possibility of defeat and offered person- 
ally to conduct the siege. He asked the aid of a 
good machinist to assist in fitting out the vessels, 
and an active sea-officer with power to choose 
one hundred hardy seamen from the fleet who were 
good swimmers, — also about forty tons of powder 
and seven thousand pounds, English money, to 
fit out the expedition. 

But the British halted their judgment. Delay 
was irksome and Fulton urged the appointment of a 
committee to consider his plan. 

Lord Sidmouth, who had sent Dr. Gregory to 
call upon Fulton in Paris, was no longer in power ; 
but had been succeeded by the Right Honourable 
William Pitt, a relative of Lord Stanhope. The 
latter, with Lord Viscount Melville, First Lord of 



no ROBERT FULTON 

the Admiralty, finally drew up a contract, which 
was witnessed by Sir Home Popham, and was 
signed by Fulton in his own name. 

Although Fulton was officially engaged by the 
English government, his plan was still under con- 
sideration, and the actual expedition met with 
several postponements. Pitt, although impressed 
by Fulton's drawings and arguments, said that if 
the torpedo were introduced into naval practice 
it would in time destroy all military marines, and, 
as England's pride and strength was in her navy, 
he hesitated to encourage a plan which might 
injure it. 

In fact, Pitt was hoping for peace rather than 
war; and for several months the project lan- 
guished. 

We can imagine with how much pleasure Fulton 
accepted an invitation to breakfast with Mr. 
Pitt on the 20th of July at his country house near 
Putney Common. Sir Home Popham also was 
present and Fulton noted that "Lord Melville 
was expected but did not arrive." 

Fulton noted in his book of memoranda, that 
"during breakfast he explained the general princi- 
ples of submarine navigation and attack which 
appeared to give pleasure and make a strong 
impression." The enthusiasm of the inventor 



EXPERIMENTS WITH A SUBMARINE in 

prevailed. Little by little he won by argument the 
approval of the half-sceptical British statesmen. 

Finally Mr. Pitt directly asked Sir Home Popham 
if an agreement could be reached and Sir Home 
assented, saying Mr. Pitt's " perusal and signature 
alone were wanting." Then Mr. Pitt read and 
signed the papers, and delivered them to Sir Home 
Popham, with orders to call upon Lord Melville 
for his signature. 

This was another red-letter day in Fulton's 
history, — indeed in the history of the world's 
naval warfare. For the signed papers were a 
contract with the inventor to fit out a British 
torpedo expedition against the French fleet at 
Boulogne. Sir Home left early, bearing the pre- 
cious documents, and Mr. Pitt when alone with 
Fulton remarked upon the extraordinary invention 
which seemed to "go to the destruction of all 
fleets." 

Fulton replied, "It was invented with that view." 
He added in his book of memoranda : 

"As I had no desire to deceive him or the govern- 
ment, I did not hesitate to give as my opinion that 
this invention would lead to the total annihilation 
of the existing system of marine war." 

"But," said Mr. Pitt, "in its present state of 
perfectionment those who command the seas will 



112 ROBERT FULTON 

be benefited by it, while the minor maritime 
powers can draw no advantage from what is now 
known." 

"True, unless plunging or submarine vessels were 
introduced into practice," answered Fulton. "It 
probably would be some years before any nation 
could bring such a vessel to perfection — at all events 
there would be time to fit future politics to future 
circumstances; if at present the French prepara- 
tions can be destroyed by submarine attack, it will 
convince Bonaparte and the whole world that 
Frenchmen never can make a descent on England, 
for any future fleet prepared by them may be 
burnt in like manner." 

Fulton notes that little more was said. It was 
agreed that the torpedo attack should take place 
at Boulogne as soon as the engines could be pre- 
pared, and, after agreeing to call again upon Mr. 
Pitt during the week, Fulton returned to London. 

But the acceptance was for only one-half of his 
project. Torpedoes were to be used, set with 
clock-work for future explosion, and these weapons, 
leaded so they floated below the surface of the 
water, were to be towed by catamarans, or rafts, 
consisting of two long sidewise planks, so placed 
that a man sat between them on a submerged 
seat. He guided the raft toward the enemy's 



EXPERIMENTS WITH A SUBMARINE 113 

ship, attached the torpedo to the anchor-cable, 
and then paddled away, under water if need 
required, leaving the clock-work agent of destruc- 
tion to float broadside beneath the vessel, with the 
turn of the tide, for later explosion. 

In the dusk of the evening of October 2d, 1804, 
several^ea'tamarans, led by the flag-ship Monarch 
withiVdmiral Keith in command, stole quietly 
into the harbor of Boulogne. Seamen, in black 
jerseys, waistcoats and trousers, with black caps 
pulled over their faces, managed to paddle each 
raft into position, attach the torpedoes and get 
away in safety. But the French ships swung 
about and avoided the bombs ; only one wrought 
destruction upon a small vessel with a crew of 
twenty-one men. The other bombs drifted ashore 
and exploded without serious harm, and at early 
dawn the British sailed away, without losing a 
man, but with so slight accomplishment that it 
was termed a failure. Fulton was present, as were 
also Sir Home Popham and Viscount Melville. 
The inventor's disappointment must have been 
great. 

The attack was followed by a storm of protest 
in England. It was considered unlawful warfare, 
— the just idea of mercy construed as unfair 
such a form of siege. Others made fun of it, and 



U4 ROBERT FULTON 

a merry wag wrote a ballad for the newspaper, 
supposedly sung by the Secretary of War : 

See here my casks and coffers, 
With triggers pulled by clocks ! 
But to the Frenchman's rigging 
Who first will lash these blocks ? 

Catamarans are ready, 
(Jack turns his quid and grins) 
Where snugly you may paddle 
In water to your chins. 

Then who my blocks will fasten, 
My casks and coffers lay? 
My pendulums set ticking 
And bring the pins away ? 

" Your project new ? " Jack mutters, 
" Avast ! 'Tis very stale, — 
'Tis catching birds, land-lubbers, 
By salt upon the tail." 

In December another trial of the submarine 
torpedo-boat was made against the Red Fort in the 
harbor of Calais. Only one of the two bombs 
exploded and little damage was done. 

So passed several months, — months of en- 
treaty on Fulton's part, — months of cautious 
planning on the part of the British statesmen. 
It was an open secret that they did not like that 
sort of warfare. Any man less persevering than 



EXPERIMENTS WITH A SUBMARINE 115 

Fulton would have thought their lack of interest 
a sufficient dismissal. 

But Fulton eagerly continued to plead for a more 
extended trial of his new device. He explained that 
the partial failure of the early attempts was due to 
lack of knowledge in the men employed to handle 
the explosives. He lost no faith in his plan and 
urged that it be adopted "as a system" by the 
English fleet. Finally his persistence was re- 
warded; Mr. Pitt gave permission for a public 
demonstration of his plan at Walmar Roads, near 
Deal Harbor, within a mile of Mr. Pitt's country 
residence, Walmar Castle. 

Fulton secured the Danish brig Dorothea — a 
prize of war — and anchored her within safe range 
from the shore, in easy sight of the crowd of dis- 
tinguished visitors whom he invited to witness the 
experiment. The rumor spread that "Mr. 
Francis/' who had invented and built the machines 
used by Sir Home Popham against the enemy's 
ships at Boulogne, was to try to blow up a three 
hundred ton brig with one of his novel catamarans. 
A multitude assembled on the beach eager to see 
the explosion. 

Fulton wrote a letter to Lord Castlereigh, the 
next day, which gives a fine account of all that 
happened. He says : 



n6 ROBERT FULTON 

"Yesterday about four o'clock, I made the intended 
experiment on the brig, with a carcass of one hundred and 
seventy pounds of powder; and I have the pleasure to 
inform you that it succeeded beyond my most sanguine 
expectations. Exactly in fifteen minutes from the time of 
drawing the peg and throwing the carcass into the water, 
the explosion took place. It lifted the brig almost bodily 
and broke her completely in two. The ends sunk immedi- 
ately and in one minute nothing was to be seen of her but 
floating fragments; her main mast was broken in three 
places ; her beams and knees were thrown from her decks 
and sides, and her deck planks were rent to fibers. In fact, 
her annihilation was complete, and the effect was most 
extraordinary. The power, as I had calculated, passed in 
a right line through her body, that being the line of least 
resistance, and carried all before it. At the time of her 
going up, she did not appear to make more resistance than 
a bag of feathers, and went to pieces like a scattered egg- 
shell." 

The unbelieving statesmen were convinced by 
this demonstration before their very eyes. Fulton 
was of course happy and satisfied; and wrote to 
Benjamin West (whom he affectionately addresses 
as "Mammy"), giving a graphic account of the 
event. 

Dover, Oct. 16th, 1805. 
My dear Mammy West ; 

You have perhaps seen in the papers a French account 
of a little blow-up which took place at Boulogne on the first 
of this month ; it was an experiment on a small scale to try 



EXPERIMENTS WITH A SUBMARINE 117 

the effect of four of my submarine bombs or torpedoes. 
They were carried in by two small boats which the French 
have magnified to many fire-ships with a formidable attack 
of boats, etc., which shows that they were much frightened 
or that the public must be amused with a long story ; how- 
ever, the torpedoes did not produce the desired effect and 
I saw a great prejudice arise in the minds of the officers 
against them : but sure of their effects and convinced that 
they had only been badly applied, I the next day purchased 
a strong Danish brig of 250 tons, determined to blow her up 
and at the same time give the officers a lesson how to act : 
the brig was soon put in order, ballast and water casks were 
laid in, and sails bent as if intended for a voyage ; she was 
then surveyed and acknowledged on all sides to be as strong 
as any of the craft at Boulogne : Everything being ready she 
was on Monday morning sent to Walmar road and anchored 
opposite Walmar Castle, about half a mile at sea. The 
public curiosity was soon excited, who expected the experi- 
ment to be made about 4 o'clock ; but that evening and the 
next morning passed in practicing my men. About 3 
yesterday I came on there and walked down the beach 
where I made the signal of attack : instantly one of my 
long galleys rushed forward and grappled the torpedo line 
in the cable of the tug. The force of the tide then pressed 
the torpedo, which was set to fifteen minutes, under her 
bottom, and in fifteen minutes the awful explosion took 
place : it lifted the whole body of the vessel almost out of 
water and broke her completely in two in the middle ; the 
mainmast and pumps were blown out of her and in one 
minute nothing of her was to be seen but floating fragments. 
The torpedo contained 170 pounds of powder. The experi- 
ment was the most complete that could be desired but most 



n8 ROBERT FULTON 

tremendous and frightful and carries with it one reflection 

which gives me some pain, that in vessels thus attacked it 

will be impossible to save the men, and many a worthy 

character must perish. 

All doubts are now removed on the power and simplicity 

of this invention. The defects which have attended it was 

bad management which is now corrected. 

Yours truly, 

Robt. Fulton. 

Success was apparently at hand, but again it 
eluded him. A strong combination of national 
forces turned the tide of war. Austria and Russia 
combined forces against Napoleon and the emperor 
was forced to break camp at Boulogne to transfer 
the seat of war to Central Europe; nor was this 
all ; on October 21st, less than a week after Fulton's 
demonstration of torpedo warfare, Nelson with 
his banner "England expects every Man to do 
His Duty/' won the great victory at Trafalgar, 
routing the forces of France and Spain, and dis- 
posing of any Napoleonic dream of conquest over 
England on the high seas. Great Britain held 
supremacy on the ocean, — she needed no new 
weapon of destruction; and with the artillery of 
France silenced, the country was unlikely to listen 
further to Fulton's plan. The old way was con- 
sidered the best way. Pitt was called " the greatest 
fool that ever existed, to encourage a mode of war 



EXPERIMENTS WITH A SUBMARINE 119 

which they who commanded the seas did not want, 
and which if successful would deprive them of it." 

So faded again Fulton's dream of universal 
peace through the stratagems of war. Yet he was 
under contract with the British government to 
supply the invention, which he found, after many 
inquiries, they did not want. They offered to 
grant him an annuity if he would promise to sup- 
press the submarine torpedo and agree that neither 
England nor any other country should adopt it. 
Fulton sent a fearless reply to the Arbitration 
Committee who made the suggestion. He de- 
clared that he would never consent to the aban- 
donment of his project. "In fact, I will do my 
utmost to make it a good philosophic work and 
give it to the world. I will then form a committee 
of the most respectable men of America and pro- 
ceed regularly in experiments on a large scale, 
publishing the result from time to time and thus 
drawing the attention of the ingenious and enter- 
prising to such pursuits. I shall hope to succeed 
in my first object, that of annihilating all military 
marines and giving liberty to the seas." 

The English probably smiled contentedly at the 
ardor of the enthusiast. Fulton continued : 

"Gentlemen, a man who has the candor to give 
you this in writing has but little deception or fear 



120 ROBERT FULTON 

in his character and will not abandon so glorious 
an enterprise for trifling rebuffs or mean considera- 
tion. 

"At all events, whatever may be your reward, 
I will never consent to let these inventions lie 
dormant should my country at any time have need 
of them. Were you to grant me an annuity of 
twenty thousand pounds a year, I would sacrifice 
all to the safety and independence of my country. 
I hope that England and America will understand 
their mutual interest too well to war with each 
other. And I have no desire to introduce my 
engines into practice for the benefit of any other 
nation." x 

1 On the 6th of June, 19 14, the writer laid aside work upon this 
volume, to serve as sponsor for the U. S. Submarine Tender 
Fulton, launched at Quincy, Massachusetts, — the first vessel of 
its type in our navy, to serve as Mother of the Fleet of Torpedoes. 



CHAPTER XII 

Some Early Steamboats 

Fulton did not forget his promise to build a 
steamboat for America, even though he was so 
occupied in trying to induce the English people 
to use his submarine torpedoes. As soon as he 
arrived in London, free from the entanglements 
of French warfare, he renewed his order for the 
engine and tried to gain permission for its shipment 
to America. 

The permit was finally obtained, the engine 
built, and in March, 1805, Fulton notes in his 
account-book that he paid the fee at the Treasury 
"on receiving permission to ship the engine for 
America." In January he had paid five hundred 
and forty-eight pounds for the cylinder and parts 
of the engine, and in March four hundred and 
seventy-six pounds, eleven shillings, sixpence for 
the copper boiler. 

Some years ago, a story "went the rounds" of 
the newspapers that the boiler for Fulton's Ameri- 
can boat was made from melted copper pennies. 

121 



122 ROBERT FULTON 

Coins of 1799 to 1804 were rare and this fiction 
was invented to explain the scarcity, but Fulton's 
notebook contradicts it. Copper was hard to get, 
and expensive, but Fulton found it and paid for 
it, — full value too, one would say ! 

The engine preceded Fulton across the water 
by a year, for Fulton stayed in England until the 
autumn of 1806. It lay at the Custom House for 
six months, and was then carted to a storage-house 
on South Street until the boat was built to receive it. 

To this period of Fulton's life belong two inter- 
esting letters : they prove that he was ever mindful 
of his brother and sisters in far-away Pennsylvania, 
even while he was debating anxiously with English 
statesmen and planning a novel boat for American 
waters. 

The first letter was written to his brother-in-law, 
David Morris, and is full of intimate and whole- 
some advice for he evidently realized the short- 
comings in his own early education. Written in 
London, October 25th, 1805, it says in part: 

I wrote you on the 20th and sent you an order on John 
Mason, Esqr. for 300 dollars to be paid out of my dividends 
of the first of January 1806, which will make in the whole 
900 dollars of which I desired the division as follows : 

300 to Mrs. Scott, 

300 to Mrs. Cook 



SOME EARLY STEAMBOATS 123 

200 to Abraham 
50 to your wife 

50 for sundries, as you will find detailed when you 
receive my letter. 

Having observed bad spelling and writing in the letters 
I have received, and knowing that such errors may be cor- 
rected with a little industry and care on winter evenings, 
I have desired a friend of mine at New York to send you 

4 of Johnston's spelling dictionaries. 

4 works on Arithmetic. 

4 sets of good copperplate copies of large and small hand. 

4 sets of the Spectator. 

One of each to be a fixture in your family for the use of 
the children; one of each for Bell's family: one ditto for 
Mrs. Scott's and one ditto for Abraham. 

The dictionaries will, I hope, correct the spelling and by 
reading the Spectator often it will improve the understanding 
and give ideas of a neat style. It is an immense object to 
learn children to write a straight fair hand, to spell well and 
cipher to the rule of three ; and although this is not much of 
an education yet when well fixed in the mind with a little 
brains and some industry a man may learn anything. 
The greatest men America has produced had not much more 
education than here mentioned from their parents, but they 
had a great and meritorious industry ; Franklin, Washington, 
and Rittenhouse are examples. 

Wishing you all well it will give me pleasure to hear that 
you do well. 

Robert Fulton. 

It is certain that Fulton had practised what he 
here preaches to his nephews and nieces. During 



124 ROBERT FULTON 

his study of the great men of the day, Franklin, 
Washington, and Rittenhouse, he had caught the 
illuminative spark of their genius, struck out upon 
life's anvil by their hard blows of untiring work. 
The secret of their power was constant self-culture, 
and Fulton applied himself to gain this foundation 
of strength by the application of his mature mind 
to the education which circumstances had deprived 
him of in his youth. 

Let us hope that the nephews and nieces gladly 
received these gift-books from their famous uncle 
whom they had never seen, welcomed the big 
dictionaries and arithmetics with joy, and studied 
hard during the winter evenings, as he suggested. 

About the same time he also wrote the following 
letter to Mr. Hoge, the first settler in Washington, 
Pennsylvania, from whom he had received an 
inquiry in regard to the four lots he had purchased. 
It shows Fulton's unfailing generosity to his brother 
and sisters : 

"I thank you kindly for your friendly letter of 
the first of June ; it is so many years since I had 
any communication with you, or accurate account 
of my relations, together with many copies of my 
letters being lost in my travels, and considering my 
property in your country of value only in as much 
as it was of use to my relatives, I had forgot the 



SOME EARLY STEAMBOATS 125 

grants I formerly made of the three lots. I find 
however that one of them has been transferred to 
Mr. Morris, one to Mrs. Cook, and one was left 
by my mother to Peggy Scott. 

"I now desire that those grants may be con- 
sidered permanent and resigning all claims to 
them, from this time I shall not reckon them in my 
calculations." 

In his will, drawn in 18 14, Fulton left a legacy of 
money also to each of his sisters and his brother. 

Before we approach the story of the Clermont, it 
is fair and just to give credit to several men who 
worked very hard to try to build a " first" steam- 
boat. There were so many attempts to produce the 
needed invention that it is hard to say which 
man should have the honor of being placed first. 

Perhaps the earliest was Dr. John Allen, of 
England, who in 1730 wrote a scientific paper, 
entitled "Navigation in a Calm," suggesting that 
a "fire engine with its furniture" could be put on 
board a ship and drive it twelve or fourteen miles 
an hour. 

Probably most of those who read his pamphlet 
smiled at his absurd idea, but six years later, in 1736, 
Jonathan Hulls took out a patent for a tug-boat 
to be moved by wheels at the stern by the power of 
an atmospheric engine. 



126 ROBERT FULTON 

In America, where there are many deep rivers, it 
is not surprising to find that there were many 
experimenters: James Rumsey, of Virginia, built 
a boat for trial on the Potomac River and in 1787 
had it working so well that he journeyed to Eng- 
land to try to advance his invention. There he 
persuaded a rich American to forward funds to 
build another boat for a trial on the Thames, but 
Rumsey died before his vessel was an established 
success. His system was not very practical and 
failed to work well. 

Captain Samuel Morey, in 1793, built a tiny 
craft, " scarce big enough to carry himself," it was 
said, and tried it upon the Connecticut River, but 
the first attempt failed to establish a claim to 
consideration and his plan was given up. 

In 1792 another Connecticut man, Elijah Orms- 
bee, a clever carpenter, moved to Providence, 
Rhode Island, and built a boat in which his friend, 
David Wilkinson of Pawtucket, fitted "flutter 
wheels" and a "goose-foot propeller." They 
made the boat run several times from Pawtucket 
to Providence, but that was the last heard of it. 
The piston was turned by atmospheric pressure, 
not by the direct use of steam. 

Nicholas J. Roosevelt, who afterward became 
Fulton's and Livingston's representative in Ohio 



SOME EARLY STEAMBOATS 127 

River navigation, also had a "try" at inventing a 
boat ; so had William Henry of Pennsylvania and 
Edward West ; both left records of their attempts. 
There were others, too, a long list of worthies, 
who labored well, but neither well enough nor long 
enough to convince doubting humanity that they 
had "found a way upon the waters." Chief 
among them should forever stand the name of 
John Fitch, who had so sure yet faint a grasp 
upon the new science. In 1786, he built a boat 
thirty-four feet long, and launched it upon the 
Delaware River where it proved its worth. He 
organized a stock company to finance and direct 
the enterprise. The boat ran for a short time 
between Philadelphia and Bordentown, but the 
machinery was cumbersome, the service scanty, 
and the company lost money. In the autumn the 
boat was set aside and never used again. After 
a visit to France, where Fitch obtained a patent 
but failed to secure funds for a new boat, he returned 
to America as a deck-hand after his fruitless 
task. A few years later he died, a disappointed 
and discouraged man. To his mechanical genius 
there was linked an erratic character and an 
unsettled disposition. Had he been able to set 
aside the belittling influences of his life, there is no 
doubt that he would have been a great man. 



128 ROBERT FULTON 

As in "Prize Contests " of the present day, 
honorable mention is made of those whose work was 
excellent although it failed to win the highest 
award ; so may we unhesitatingly yield honorable 
mention to John Fitch for his years of study. He 
did build a boat; he did make it run; but he 
failed to establish steam navigation as a practical 
system of transportation and a commercial success. 

In addition to these Americans there were men 
of science in other lands who busied themselves 
with the same problem. Earl Stanhope of 
England, whose attempt has been noted ; Patrick 
Miller of Scotland ; the Messrs. Hunter and Dickin- 
son; William Symington, who tried a tug on the 
Forth and Clyde Canal ; M. des Blanc, of France, 
who essayed to build a boat for the Rhone ; all are 
recorded in history as having made honest attempts 
to prove that the power of steam could be applied 
to boats. But how? That was the question. 
And it should be noted that Robert Fulton did not 
accept the theory of any previous experimenter, 
nor did he merely happen upon his successful plan. 
He worked long and patiently, with varying degrees 
of success, until he discovered the proper tables of 
proportion, — the size and shape of the boat and 
its paddles, the weight and power of the engine, the 
strength of tide and currents, and all the many 



SOME EARLY STEAMBOATS 129 

contributing forces which united to form the prac- 
tical and successful boat he finally produced. 

Several interesting descriptions of Fulton's ex- 
periments are in existence: one, dated Paris, 
Jan. 9th, 1803, is entitled "Experiments on the 
Model of a Boat to be Moved by a Steam Engine." 
It describes six different methods by which he 
propelled a model of a boat three feet long and 
eight inches wide. From the knowledge he gained 
in these experiments, he compiled a " table of 
comparisons" showing the different distances 
covered by the use of varying sized paddles. He 
concluded: "Propelling a boat through water 
is the act of separating two bodies, — the boat 
from its oars or paddles, or whatever else is applied, 
— and this is governed by laws reducible to simple 
calculation." 

It was this science of calculation which gave 
Fulton the mastery of the situation, and his title, 
Inventor of Steam Navigation. He did not build 
a boat by guess-work, but built many boats by 
actual calculation of their power and speed ; these 
he introduced upon several waterways and estab- 
lished each as a commercial success. Other men 
had produced the "flower of invention." Fulton 
produced the more perfect flower and matured it 
to actual fruitage. 



CHAPTER XIII 

Building the Clermont 

When Fulton, a youth of twenty-one, sailed 
from America in 1786, he carried one letter of 
introduction in his pocket and forty guineas in his 
purse. Twenty years later he returned, a man of 
prominence, with plans and purposes enough to 
fill the remainder of his life. His arbitration with 
the British government was finished; he had 
been paid for services rendered to the fleet; and 
the system of torpedo warfare remained his own, 
for he had declined to suppress it, at any price. 
He was content, in excellent health, "never better," 
he said, and in good spirits. Thus he wrote to his 
friend Joel Barlow, announcing his return. 

It was his hope to arrive in America by the 14th 
of November, his birthday, and eat roast goose in 
Barlow's hospitable home, "Kalorama," — a fine 
country estate near the city of Washington. But 
the slow-sailing ship in which he embarked from 
Falmouth during the first week in October did not 
come to port in Halifax, Nova Scotia, until the 
13th of December, 1806. 

130 



BUILDING THE CLERMONT 131 

How happy Fulton was to be again in his native 
land. He traveled at once by stage-coach to 
visit the Barlows in their new and delightful home, 
which he called the " Athenian Garden of America. " 
There he entered another circle of Barlow's friends, 
statesmen of the day, among whom were Jefferson, 
Madison, and other men of prominence. 

In Fulton's letter to Barlow he had said, "You 
know I cannot exist without a project, or projects, 
and I have two or three of the first order of sub- 
limity.' ' It was true, and he immediately set 
himself to the task of forwarding them. He 
certainly believed in the importance of the work 
he was about to begin. 

The world has honored Fulton as the "inventor 
of the steamboat"; his history shows that his 
other invention, the submarine torpedo-boat, was 
of equal importance in Fulton's estimation. 
Pledged to partnership with Chancellor Livingston 
to build the boat for the Hudson River, he also 
found time, soon after his arrival in America, to 
interest his countrymen in his project of submarine 
navigation. Joel Barlow helped him in this plan 
by inviting James Madison, Secretary of State, 
and Robert Smith, Secretary of the Navy, to 
witness an experiment at Kalorama, on the waters 
of Rock Creek. These men were favorably im- 



132 ROBERT FULTON 

pressed, and Fulton soon after arranged a series of 
experiments in the harbor of New York ; but three 
years went by before Congress appropriated money 
to finance the invention in a practical way. 

Fulton's fame had spread, and in March he was 
invited by Thomas Jefferson, then President of the 
United States, to examine the ground and report 
on the possibility of building a canal to unite the 
waters of the Mississippi River with Lake Pont- 
char train; but Fulton replied, "although infinitely 
obliged by the proposal I am sorry I cannot under- 
take a work so interesting and honorable. The 
reason is I now have ship-builders, blacksmiths 
and carpenters occupied at New York in building 
and executing the machinery of my steamboat and 
I must return to that city in ten days to direct 
the work till finished, which will probably require 
four months. The enterprise is of much impor- 
tance to me individually and I hope will be of 
great use in facilitating the navigation of some of 
our long rivers. Like every enthusiast I have no 
doubt of success. I therefore work with ardor and 
when adjusting the parts of the machine I cannot 
leave the men for a day. I am also preparing the 
engines for an experiment of blowing up a vessel in 
the harbor of New York this spring. The machines 
for this purpose are in great forwardness and I 



BUILDING THE CLERMONT 133 

hope to be able to convince the rational part of 
the inhabitants of our cities that vessels of war shall 
never enter our harbors or approach our coasts but 
by our consent. Thus I hope I am usefully em- 
ployed for six or nine months." 

How strange seem all these plans in the light 
of a century's progress! We are prone to think 
that civilization has come by leaps and bounds, 
but a letter like this proves that men have had to 
develop it by patient industry. 

Fulton engaged a boat-builder, Charles Browne 
by name, whose yards were at Corlears Hook on 
the East River, to construct the hull. It was a 
hundred and fifty feet long, thirteen feet wide, 
drawing two feet of water, bow and stern sixty 
degrees. You will remember that the engine from 
England was safely stored in a warehouse on 
South Street, and it was carted over to place in the 
boat on April 23d, 1807. Fulton kept an ac- 
count of all expenses and his worn little note-book 
tells many details which otherwise would have 
been lost. 

Plenty of people laughed at the enterprise and 
few thought it would amount to anything. Idle- 
minded men crowded near the ship-yards and gave 
their reasons for predicting the certain failure of 
Fulton's Folly, as they called the boat. This was 



134 ROBERT FULTON 

unpleasant but Fulton took no notice of them for 
he had long before realized that only wise people can 
grasp new ideas. His patience was inexhaustible 
and his temper undisturbed. He declined to listen 
to the jeers of the bystanders who often rudely in- 
tended their remarks to reach his ears. And day 
by day the boat advanced toward completion. 

It will be remembered that Livingston, by the 
terms of contract, could not be called upon for 
more money; we can fancy then how great was 
Fulton's anxiety when he found that the boat would 
cost more than he had surmised. It is said that 
when one thousand dollars were needed to pay the 
men, Fulton vainly spent an entire evening trying 
to persuade an intimate friend to lend the money. 
Nothing daunted, he renewed his entreaties the 
following day, and finally the friend reluctantly 
promised a hundred dollars if Fulton could persuade 
nine others to subscribe the same sum. This he 
did by promising the subscribers that their names 
should be kept secret, as they feared ridicule. 

The lack of money was exasperating when 
Fulton felt so sure of his plan, but not an angry or 
fretful word escaped him; and when work went 
wrong, as it sometimes did, he commenced again 
with the same ardor and calmness. Hot weather 
came on and still Fulton worked hard at the yards, 



BUILDING THE CLERMONT 135 

superintending every detail; he must often have 
been exhausted, says Colden, his biographer, but 
he never complained. He showed himself a moral 
as well as a mechanical philosopher. 

We always think of Fulton's steamboat as voyag- 
ing first upon the waters of the Hudson; it is 
interesting therefore to learn from a letter Fulton 
wrote to Chancellor Livingston, that the boat was 
launched in the East River, and there made a 
successful trial-trip on the 9th of August, 1807, 
exactly four years after Fulton's demonstration of 
his French boat on the river Seine. He probably 
chose the date in remembrance of that never-to-be- 
forgotten triumph. 

The Chancellor was spending the summer at 
Clermont, his famous country estate on the Hudson 
River at Tivoli, a short distance below the city of 
Hudson. His delight must have been great when 
he received the following letter from his energetic 
partner. I quote it in full because of its special 
interest in showing how fully Fulton tested his new 
craft and how personal was his care and exercise of 
her movements : 

New York, Monday the 10th August, 1807. 
Dear Sir : 

Yesterday about 12 o'clock I put the steamboat in motion, 
first with a paddle 8 inches broad 3 feet long with which I 



136 ROBERT FULTON 

ran about one mile up the East River against a tide of almost 
one mile an hour, it being nearly high water. I then an- 
chored and put in another paddle 8 inches wide 3 feet long, 
started again and then according to my best observations I 
went 3 miles an hour, that is two against a tide of one; 
another board of 8 inches was wanting which had not been 
prepared. I therefore turned the boat and run down with 
the tide of one mile, boat 3, equal four, and turned her round 
neatly into the berth from which I parted. She answers the 
helm equal to anything that ever was built And I turned her 
twice in three times her own length. 

Much has been proved by this experiment ; First, that 
she will when in complete order run up to my full calcula- 
tions ; Second, that my axles I believe will be sufficiently 
strong to run the engine to her full power ; Third, that she 
steers well and can be turned with ease. The sum of the 
surfaces of the paddles were 8 feet, the Bow of the boat 9. 
My paddle boards should have been equal 12 feet which I 
was afraid to put on at first ; they are now making. 

The engine having worked for the first time requires over- 
hauling and new packing. The cold-water pump for con- 
densing is 7 inches and a two foot stroke yet does not fur- 
nish sufficient cold water for complete condensation and 
vacuum. I am about making it 10 inches diameter ; these 
connections with the finishing of the cabins will take me the 
entire week and I shall start on Monday next at 4 miles 
an hour. 

Yesterday I beat all the sloops that were endeavoring to 
stem tide with the slight breeze which they had; had I 
hoisted my sails I consequently should have had all their 
means added to my own. 

Whatever may be the fate of steamboats for the Hudson 



BUILDING THE CLERMONT 137 

every thing is completely proved for the Mississippi, and 

the object is immense. Please to forward me 1000 or 1500 

dollars as soon as possible. 

Yours truly, 

R. Fulton. 

Best respects to Mrs. Livingston. 

Addressed to Robt. R. Livingston, Esqr. 

Clermont, 

New York. 

Money was again needed, you see, but we may 
be sure it was forthcoming with this proof of the 
success of the great project. For the trial-trip, 
although it made necessary some slight alterations, 
removed all doubt as to its power. During the 
week the boat was moved to its new dock on the 
North, or Hudson River, and the carpenters were 
set at work to finish the cabins and make the boat 
ready for her first official voyage up the Hudson. 
Fulton promised the Chancellor that it should take 
place "on Monday next," — that was August 
17th, — so Fulton's partner and several members 
of his family journeyed to New York, by sloop or 
stage-coach, to take the historic trip. 



CHAPTER XIV 

First Voyage of the Clermont 

The eventful day, the 17th of August, 1807, 
dawned with blue, unclouded skies. There was a 
buzz of excitement throughout the morning as the 
guests, about forty in number, assembled at the dock 
near the old States Prison, in Greenwich Village. 

Miss Helen Livingston, a young lady who was 
present, had written her mother, "Cousin Chan- 
cellor has a wonderful new boat which is to make 
the voyage up the Hudson some day soon. It will 
hold a good many passengers and he has, with his 
usual kindness, invited us to be of the party. He 
says it will be something to remember all our lives. 
He says we need not trouble ourselves about provi- 
sions, as his men will see to all that." 

She with her sister, Kate Livingston, made the 
famous trip and many years later told its story to 
her granddaughter, Helen Evertsen Smith, who 
wrote it out. " Cousin Chancellor " predicted the 
truth when he said it would be something to re- 
member all their lives ! There were several ladies 

138 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 139 

in the party, as well as the Dean of Ripon Cathedral, 
England, John R. Livingston, and other persons 
of distinction. Some were incredulous and all 
were slightly uneasy. Fulton himself has thus 
described the exciting time: 

The moment arrived in which the word was to be given 
for the boat to move. My friends were in groups on the 
deck. There was anxiety mixed with fear among them. 
They were silent, sad and weary. I read in their looks 
nothing but disaster and almost repented of my efforts. 
The signal was given and the boat moved on a short dis- 
tance and then stopped and became immovable. To the 
silence of the preceding moment, now succeeded murmurs of 
discontent and agitation, and whispers and shrugs. I could 
hear distinctly repeated 'I told you so ; it is a foolish scheme : 
I wish we were well out of it.' 

I elevated myself upon a platform and addressed the 
assembly. I stated that I knew not what was the matter, 
but if they would be quiet and indulge me for half an hour 
I would either go on or abandon the voyage for that time. 
This short respite was conceded without objection. I went 
below and examined the machinery and discovered that the 
cause was a slight maladjustment of some of the work. In a 
short time it was obviated. The boat was again put in 
motion. She continued to move on. All were still in- 
credulous : none seemed willing to trust the evidence of their 
own senses. We left the fair city of New York : we passed 
through the romantic and ever-varying scenery of the High- 
lands; — we descried the clustering houses of Albany: we 
reached its shores, — and then, even then, when all seemed 
achieved, I was the victim of disappointment. 



140 ROBERT FULTON 

Imagination superseded the influence of fact. It was 
then doubted if it could be done again, or if done if it could 
be made of any great value. 

We must not imagine that the boat was as perfect 
as the modern steamboats of to-day. Far from it ! 
She was a strange looking vessel; the uncovered 
machinery occupied the center and groaned and 
creaked from time to time. The huge paddle- 
wheels splashed in and out of the water, casting 
spray on the decks and high in the air. The rear 
cabin was set aside for the use of the ladies, — 
the forward cabin for the men. There were two 
tall masts, provided with sails in case of need. A 
rude compass on deck guided the pilot in steering 
the boat. All together it is not to be wondered at 
that the odd-looking boat, spitting forth steam 
and splashing water at both sides, excited the lively 
interest of all who could see the vessel from both 
shores of the river. 

It is said that the boat had not long been under 
way when Fulton caused it to be stopped because 
he saw a way of improving the paddles. He 
lessened their diameter, so the buckets took less 
hold of the water, for certainly they splashed too 
much. When the boat started again it was found 
that the alteration had increased her speed. It is 
said that her first performance exceeded the expec- 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 141 

tation of the passengers on board, and none but 
Fulton thought that she could be improved. 

But after this adjustment there was no further 
trouble. The wheels went around with regular 
stroke as the boat advanced steadily up the river 
and convinced the skeptical tjiat Fulton had ful- 
filled his promise. 

One of the newspapers, the American Citizen, 
printed this notice that morning : 

"Mr. Fulton's ingenious steamboat, invented 
with a view to the navigation of the Mississippi 
from New Orleans upward, sails to-day from the 
North River, near States Prison, to Albany. The 
velocity is calculated at four miles an hour. It is 
said it will make a progress of two against the 
current of the Mississippi and if so it will certainly 
be a very valuable acquisition to the commerce of 
Western states." 

This news, together with the popular interest 
aroused near the dockyards, brought a crowd of 
people to the shores. During the setting-forth 
from the dock, the jeers of many could be plainly 
heard. As the paddles began to turn and the boat 
swung about to position and headed up stream, 
the faces of the doubters changed as though by 
magic. Fulton's Folly was not merely afloat, it was 
moving with majesty and with assurance. The 



142 ROBERT FULTON 

scoffs subsided, exclamations of wonder took their 
place; then, as the triumph of the experiment 
became evident, a cheer arose from the shore. It 
was echoed and repeated until the entire crowd 
acknowledged its mistake in a wild tumult of 
cheers, — the first public acclaim to greet the new 
invention. 

From Helen Livingston's letter we know that 
refreshments were provided for the party; and 
there were couches in the cabins upon which the 
guests could sleep at night, for the voyage to 
Albany took thirty-two hours instead of nine, as 
at the present day. 

The boat splashed on its way, looking it is said 
"like a backwoods saw-mill mounted on a scow and 
set on fire." Wood was used for fuel and when 
the fireman stirred the flames they shot high in the 
air, throwing out a multitude of sparks as well, 
which must have looked terrifying enough to the 
people on shore, especially in the darkness of the 
night. The sailors on the river sloops were amazed 
as they saw this queer boat gaining upon them, 
while some of the more timid actually ran their 
boats to shore and took to the woods in fright. 
Others gathered on the river bank and prayed for 
protection against this " monster" made by man. 
All were spellbound with astonishment and passed 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 143 

the word from one to another, so that the dwellers 
from all the houses near shore ran forth to view 
the strange craft. 

After the first fear had passed, happiness pre- 
vailed on board. The quiet ease of Fulton's and 
Livingston's manner, as they moved about among 
their guests, restored peace of mind. By night, 
when filmy shadows fell over the mountain tops 
and the setting sun touched the waters with gold, 
the guests were thrilled with delight. The presence 
of the ladies added a touch of beauty to the strange- 
looking vessel, and as they proceeded through the 
picturesque Highlands, the party sang the melodies 
of the day. The Scotch ballad said to have been 
a favorite of Fulton's rang out : 

"Ye banks and braes o' Bonny Doon, 
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair ? 
How can ye chant, ye little birds, 
And I sae weary fu' o' care?" 

But Fulton's care, for the time, had sped away. 
He was surrounded by friends whose compliments 
upon his success must have been both welcome 
and pleasant. Helen Livingston's granddaughter 
writes: " There were many distinguished and 
fine-looking men on board the Clermont, but my 
grandmother always described Robert Fulton as 
surpassing them all. 'That son of a Pennsylvania 



144 ROBERT FULTON 

farmer/ she was wont to say, 'was really a prince 
among men. He was as modest as he was great 
and as handsome as he was modest. His eyes 
were glorious with love and genius.'" 

A great personal happiness rilled Fulton's thought, 
beyond that of his success in the invention, for on 
the second day of the voyage, as the boat was about 
to cast anchor at the Clermont dock of the Chan- 
cellor, the latter, as a crowning touch of romance to 
the triumph of the voyage, announced the be- 
trothal of his fair young cousin, Miss Harriet 
Livingston, to the inventor. In easy, graceful 
words he added that the name of Robert Fulton 
would descend to posterity as a benefactor to the 
world, for it was not impossible that, before the 
end of the century, vessels propelled by steam alone 
might make the voyage to Europe! The guests 
were too polite to laugh at this suggestion in the 
presence of the Chancellor and the inventor but, 
after several of the company had indulged in hidden 
smiles, John R. Livingston whispered to his cou- 
sin, "Bob has had many a bee in his bonnet before 
now, but this steam folly will prove the worst yet ! " 

It has been reported that the consent of the 
Livingston family had been witjiheld from Fulton's 
engagement until he could prove his invention a 
success. He had asked the Chancellor if he might 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 145 

aspire to the hand of his fair cousin and had received 
the reply: "Her father may object . . . but if 
Harriet does not object, — and she seems to have 
a world of good sense, — go ahead, and my best 
wishes and blessings go with you." 

In the light of later events, it is hard to see why 
any objection could have been raised. Fulton, 
then forty-two years old, had made his way against 
great odds, and was a prominent man on both sides 
of the Atlantic. Harriet Livingston, a guest of honor 
on the historic trip up the Hudson, was the daughter 
of the Hon. Walter Livingston, Commissioner of 
the United States Treasury. The bride-elect had 
inherited beauty and talent. She played upon 
the harp and also sketched in pencil with delicacy 
and skill, an accomplishment which naturally 
appealed to Fulton's artistic taste. 

Her father, Walter Livingston, son of the last 
Lord of the Manor of Livingston, had inherited as 
his share of the vast grant of land of 1715, which 
comprised over 160,000 acres, a tract of 28,000 
acres, which he named "Tiviotdale." Upon this 
great estate he had built an imposing mansion to 
which in later years Fulton and his wife paid many 
visits. 

The party left the boat at Clermont, while 
Fulton and the Chancellor, after spending the night 



146 ROBERT FULTON 

at the latter's hospitable home, continued the 
journey to Albany, arriving there at five o'clock 
in the afternoon. When the voyage to New York 
was made, Fulton set about improving his boat 
that she might be more comfortable for the many 
passengers he hoped to carry up and down the 
river. He wrote to Barlow, as follows : 

"My steamboat voyage to Albany and back has 
turned out rather more favorably than I had cal- 
culated. The distance from New York to Albany 
is one hundred and fifty miles. I ran it up in 
thirty-two hours and down in thirty. I had a light 
breeze against me the whole way, both going and 
coming, and the voyage has been performed wholly 
by the power of the steam engine. I overtook 
many sloops and schooners beating to the windward 
and parted with them as if they had been at anchor. 
The power of propelling boats by steam is now fully 
proved. The morning I left New York there were 
not perhaps thirty persons in the city who believed 
that the boat would ever move one mile an hour, or 
be of the least utility, and while we were putting 
off from the wharf, which was crowded with specta- 
tors, I heard a number of sarcastic remarks. This 
is the way in which ignorant men compliment 
what they call philosophers and projectors. Hav- 
ing employed much time, money and zeal in 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 147 

accomplishing this work, it gives me, as it will you, 
great pleasure to see it fully answer my expecta- 
tions. It will give a cheap and quick conveyance 
to the merchandise on the Mississippi, Missouri and 
other great rivers, which are now laying open their 
treasures to the enterprise of our countrymen ; and 
although the prospect of personal emolument has 
been some inducement to me, yet I feel infinitely 
more pleasure in reflecting on the immense advan- 
tage my country will derive from the invention." 

And so was Fulton's Folly changed to Fulton's 
Triumph! There are several accounts of the 
return voyage, notably one written by a Frenchman, 
Monsieur Michaux, a distinguished botanist, who 
happened to be in Albany at the opportune time 
when Fulton's boat was about to make its return 
voyage down the Hudson. He with his companion, 
a man named Parmentier, had been three days in 
the capital city when they read in the paper about 
the arrival of a " steam boat" from New York, 
commanded by the inventor, Robert Fulton. 
Crowds of people were flocking to the dock to see 
the strange craft. Some admitted that a great 
advantage might be gained by the novel method 
of transportation, although many persons predicted 
that the boiler would explode and cause serious 
accidents. 



148 ROBERT FULTON 

A sign hung upon the side of the boat announced 
that it would start for New York on Wednesday, 
August 20th, and would carry passengers at the 
same price charged by sailing-masters on their 
sloops, seven dollars. 

The two Frenchmen decided to try the experi- 
ment. They were alone in their decision, all other 
travelers preferring to go by the old "slow and 
sure" way. The boat set off in sight of a crowd of 
spectators which had gathered at the dock. The 
smoke from the engine could be seen for some dis- 
tance throwing a black column to the sky, and many 
persons gathered on near-by hillsides to wave their 
handkerchiefs and hurrah for Fulton whom they 
noticed in command when the boat came up the 
river. 

Monsieur Michaux said that when they paid Mr, 
Fulton their fare, before they left the boat, he com- 
mented on the courage of two Frenchmen to em- 
bark when so many of his countrymen declined to 
try the experiment. It is interesting to remember 
that Fulton carried passengers from both France 
and England, the two countries where his prelim- 
inary attempts had been worked out; for an 
Englishman, probably the Dean of Ripon Cathedral, 
who is known to have been a guest of the Chan- 
cellor on the first trip of the Clermont^ wrote a 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 149 

letter which was printed in the Naval Chronicle, for 
1808, Vol. XIX, page 188 : 

"I have now the pleasure to state to you the 
particulars of a late excursion to Albany in the 
steamboat, made and completed under the direc- 
tions of the Hon. Robert R. Livingston and Mr. 
Fulton, together with my remarks thereon. On 
the morning of the 19th of August Edward P. 
Livingston, Esq. and myself were honoured with 
an invitation from the Chancellor and Mr. Fulton 
to proceed with them to Albany, in trying the first 
experiment up the river Hudson, in the steamboat. 
She was then lying off Clermont, the country seat 
of the Chancellor, where she had arrived in twenty- 
four hours from New York, being no miles. 
Precisely at thirteen minutes past nine o'clock 
a.m. the engine was put in motion, when we made a 
head against the ebb tide and the head wind blow- 
ing a pleasant breeze. We continued our course 
for about eight miles, when we took the flood, the 
wind still ahead. We arrived at Albany about five 
o'clock p.m. being a distance from Clermont of 
forty-five miles, (as agreed by those best acquainted 
with the river) which was performed in eight hours, 
without any accident or interruption whatever. 
This decidedly gave the boat upwards of five miles 
an hour, the tide sometimes against us, neither the 



150 ROBERT FULTON 

sails nor any implement but the steam used. The 
next morning we left Albany at twenty-five minutes 
past nine and arrived at Clermont in nine hours 
precisely, which gave us five miles an hour. The 
current on returning was stronger than when 
going up. After landing us at Clermont, Mr. 
Fulton proceeded with the passengers to New York. 
The excursion to Albany was very pleasant and 
presented a most interesting spectacle. As we 
passed the farms on the borders of the river, every 
eye was intent, and from village to village the 
heights and conspicuous places were occupied by 
the sentinels of curiosity, not viewing a thing they 
could possibly anticipate any idea of, but conjec- 
turing about the possibility of the motion. As we 
passed and repassed the towns of Athens and Hud- 
son we were politely saluted by the inhabitants 
and by several vessels, and at Albany we were 
visited by his Excellency, the Governor, and many 
citizens. She is unquestionably the most pleasant 
boat I ever went in. In her the mind is free from 
suspense. Perpetual motion authorizes you to 
calculate on a certain time to land; her works 
move with all the facility of a clock ; and the noise 
when on board is not greater than that of a vessel 
sailing with a good breeze." 
And so the journey to Albany and back was 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 151 

complete, the triumph assured. That tiny steam- 
boat, with splashing side-paddles, had been acknowl- 
edged a safe transport. With great pleasure the 
captain, Andrew Brink by name, who certainly 
knew more of navigation than of spelling French 
names, wrote in his note-book: 

List of passengers on board the North River Steamboat 
from Albany to New York, August 21, 1807 : 

Dollars 
Captain Thomas Hunt 7 

Monsieur Parmentoo 

Monsieur Mishaud 13 

Mr. E. D. Tyle 6 

Captain Davies 1 

27 
Mr. Fulton 

Captain Brink had previously had command of 
the river sloop Maria. When Fulton and Living- 
ston journeyed on his sloop to Clermont they dis- 
cussed the plan for the steamboat, and rinding 
Brink intelligent and interested, they promised 
to employ him upon the new ship. On September 
20th, 1807, Fulton entered his month's pay-roll 
in his account book : 

To Captain Brink 30 dollars 

George, the Steward 10 " 

Paid Griffin, the Black Steward, 12 " 

Paid Richard Wilson, the Black Cook, 10 " 



152 ROBERT FULTON 

Captain Brink lived on the west bank of the 
Hudson, opposite Clermont. After he had landed 
his passengers at the Chancellor's dock, on the 
voyage up the river, he borrowed a rowboat, 
crossed the river, and brought his wife back to take 
the remainder of the trip, for he had promised "to 
take her to Albany on the boat driven by a tea- 
kettle." 

The chief engineer was a Scotchman who had to 
be discharged, for at Albany he went ashore and 
indulged too freely in drink as a celebration of the 
successful voyage. Fulton promoted Charles 
Dyke, assistant engineer, to his place, and he did 
so well that he remained for many years in Fulton's 
employ, and in time became chief engineer of the 
first ferry-boat used at Fulton Ferry. 

So Fulton proved himself not merely a master 
of mechanics, but also of management and adminis- 
tration of the new method of travel. He not only 
began well but continued wisely. 

After Fulton reached New York he took time to 
write a letter to the one newspaper, the American 
Citizen, which had noted the departure of his boat. 
It was well that he did so, for this furnishes an 
historical record of the achievement. It is a simple 
and straightforward account of the voyage, with no 
extravagant predictions as to the future. 



FIRST VOYAGE OF THE CLERMONT 153 

New York, August 20th, 1807. 
To the Editor of the American Citizen, 

Sir; 

I arrived this afternoon at 4 o'clock on the steamboat 
from Albany. As the success of my experiment gives me 
great hope that such boats may be rendered of much im- 
portance to my country, to prevent erroneous opinions and 
to give some satisfaction to the friends of useful improve- 
ments, you will have the goodness to publish the following 
statement of facts : 

I left New York on Monday at 1 o'clock and arrived at 
Clermont, the seat of Chancellor Livingston, at 1 o'clock on 
Tuesday, time 24 hours, distance no miles : On Wednesday 
I departed from the Chancellor's at 9 in the morning and 
arrived at Albany at 5 in the afternoon, distance 40 miles, 
time 8 hours: the sum of this is 150 miles in 32 hours, 
equal near 5 miles an hour. 

On Thursday at 9 o'clock in the morning I left Albany 
and arrived at the Chancellor's at 6 in the evening: I 
started from thence at 7, and arrived at New York on 
Friday at 4 in the afternoon; time 30 hours, space run 
through, 150 miles, equal 5 miles an hour. Throughout 
the whole way my going and returning the wind was ahead ; 
no advantage could be drawn from my sails — the whole has 
therefore been performed by the power of the steam engine. 
I am, Sir, 

Your Most Obedient, 
Robert Fulton. 

Friends were ready enough now to congratulate 
the inventor upon his success, but he had scant 



154 ROBERT FULTON 

time to listen, for his first accomplishment made 
further work necessary. He plunged at once into 
hard work for the development of his plan which 
included steam navigation for the inland waters of 
America. 




Reproduced through the courtesy of The Century Co. 

Fulton's Inkstand 



CHAPTER XV 

Steamboats and Submarines 

Now that Fulton had attained his heart's desire, 
— the great plan for steam navigation, — there 
was no time to rest upon his laurels. One success 
is but a key to future opportunity. He reasoned 
well that the Hudson had provided only the opening 
chapter, as it were, to a great volume of possible 
attainments. Every river in the world offered an 
equal avenue for the march of progress in trans- 
portation. 

That first voyage of the Clermont revealed many 
slight imperfections which Fulton's fertile brain im- 
mediately remedied in imagination. He laid the 
vessel up in dock at New York for two weeks that 
he might add to her equipment and improve the 
conditions on board for the comfort of the passen- 
gers. He boarded the sides, decked over the 
boiler, furnished each cabin, fore and aft, with 
twelve berths, and strengthened the ironwork in 
many parts. He also had the boat thoroughly 
calked, and as much rain fell during the time, the 

155 



156 ROBERT FULTON 

work was delayed. Fulton described these im- 
provements in a letter to the Chancellor, and joy- 
ously wrote, "The boat will be as complete as she 
can be made — all strong and in good order and the 
men well organized ; and I hope nothing to do but 
to run her for six weeks or two months, — I will 
have her registered and everything done which I 
can recollect. Everything looks well and I have 
no doubt will be very productive." 

On September 2d, Fulton advertised in the New 
York Evening Post as follows: "The North River 
Steam Boat Will leave Pauler's Hook on Friday, 
the 4th of September, at 6 in the morning, and 
arrive at Albany, on Saturday, at 6 in the after- 
noon. Provisions, good berths, and accommoda- 
tions are provided." 

An announcement of rates followed; three 
dollars to Newburgh, and seven to Albany, with 
suitable prices for intermediate stations; the rate 
of travel was fourteen hours to Newburgh and 
thirty-six to Albany. It was stated that the boat 
would leave Albany twice and New York once 
during the succeeding week, after which further 
schedules would be published. 

This time-table was duly carried out; bright 
and early, at half past six, on a clear September 
morning, the fourteen passengers brave enough to 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 157 

venture started on their northward trip. When 
they arrived, they found Fulton already on board, 
his actions confident and decided, unheeding the 
fear of some and the sarcasm of others. His clear 
tones could be heard above the hum of the voices 
of the multitude — which had gathered to watch 
the departure — and the noise made by the escap- 
ing steam which leaked from several valves. So 
we learn from Judge John Q. Wilson, of Albany, one 
of the fourteen who dared to make the voyage 
though warned by a prudent Quaker friend : "Wilt 
thou risk thy life in such a concern? I tell thee 
she is the most fearful wild fowl living and thy 
father ought to restrain thee." 

But though a predicted failure, the voyage 
proved so pleasant an experience that the passen- 
gers drew up a statement to record their satisfac- 
tion. Gerrit H. Van Wagenen served as time- 
keeper and Judge Wilson drafted the testimonial 
which, signed by the entire company, was pub- 
lished in the Albany Register of September 8th. 

From Verplanck's Point to Wappinger's Creek 
the wind was favorable but light : after that it was 
ahead or calm, yet they made the full distance of 
150 miles in 28 hours and 45 minutes. Judge 
Wilson wrote: "The subscribers, passengers on 
board of this boat on her first passage as a packet, 



158 ROBERT FULTON 

think it but justice to state that the accommoda- 
tions and conveniences on board exceeded their 
most sanguine expectations." 

They had an amusing experience at Haverstraw 
Bay. As the boat steamed along, a man in a skiff 
lay in wait. His appearance showed him to be a 
miller, for his hair and clothing were covered with 
flour. He had evidently dashed forth from his 
mill on the riverside when he saw the queer boat 
approaching, had boarded his skiff and rowed out 
into the stream for a conversation with the cap- 
tain. He signaled that he would like to come on 
board, so Fulton ordered that a rope be thrown him 
to draw his skiff alongside the Clermont, He called 
out that he "did not know a mill could go up- 
stream, so he came to enquire about it." One of 
the passengers, Dennis Doyle, an Irishman who 
loved a good joke, offered to guide him all over 
"the mill." The miller climbed on board, and 
Dennis showed him all the wheels and machinery 
and told him in fun that by a simple contrivance 
one wheel could be thrown out of gear when the 
mill was to go up-stream. "But show me the 
grindstones," said the miller. Dennis kept a 
straight face and pointing to Fulton answered, 
"That is a secret which the master has not yet 
told us : when we come back from Albany with our 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 159 

load of corn, if you come on board then, you will 
see the meal fly." The simple-minded miller 
rowed back to the shore, wondering whether he 
could really move his own mill up-stream in the 
same fashion. 

At West Point the whole garrison was on the 
river bank to cheer the boat, while at Newburgh it 
seemed as though the entire population of Orange 
County had assembled; the hillside city was all 
alert. The ferry, a sail-boat from Fishkill, was 
crowded by a party of ladies, and the captain 
tacked close to the steamboat, which had just 
landed a passenger at the dock. The flapping of 
the near-by sail attracted Fulton's attention and 
he raised his eyes to meet a flutter of handker- 
chiefs and a group of smiling, happy faces. He 
hurriedly raised his hat in acknowledgment as he 
gallantly exclaimed, "That is the finest sight we 
have seen yet!" 

The passengers' statement in the newspaper was 
a fine advertisement for the new mode of travel 
and by October the Clermont was well established 
as a passenger carrier. 

Fulton wrote a letter to Captain Brink, on Octo- 
ber 9th, which showed a good master of the new 
enterprise. He expected every man in his employ to 
do his duty, — there was to be no half-way service. 



160 ROBERT FULTON 

It gives an insight into Fulton's strength of char- 
acter and reveals an important factor in his success : 

Capt. Brink ; New York ' 0ct 9 th ' l8 °?- 

Sir; 

Inclosed is the number of voyages which is intended the 
Boat should run this season. You may have them pub- 
lished in the Albany papers. 

As she is strongly manned and everyone except Jackson 
under your command, you must insist on each one doing 
his duty or turn him on shore and put another in his place. 
Everything must be kept in order, everything in its place, 
and all parts of the Boat scoured and clean. It is not suffi- 
cient to tell men to do a thing, but stand over them and 
make them do it. One pair of Quick and good eyes is worth 
six pair of hands in a commander. If the Boat is dirty and 
out of order the fault shall be yours. Let no man be Idle 
when there is the least thing to do, and make them move 
quick. 

Run no risques of any kind when you meet or overtake 
vessels beating or crossing your way, always run under their 
stern if there be the least doubt that you cannot clear their 
head by 50 yards or more. Give in the accounts of Receipts 
and expenses every week to the Chancellor. 

Your most obedient, 

Robt. Fulton. 

Captain Brink continued in charge of the Cler- 
mont during the season of 1807 and was succeeded 
the following spring by Captain Samuel Wiswall 
who was employed by Fulton for many years. The 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 161 

boat ran well, with only one accident, when, on 
November 13 th, a cast-iron axletree broke, as the 
Clermont was setting out from New York and she 
was obliged to return for repairs. By this time the 
weather was cool and ice was forming in the river. 
On the 20th of November Fulton wrote to the 
Chancellor, — "It is now time to lay her up for 
the winter. Nothing should be risqued from bad 
weather — the gain will be trifling, the risque 
great." He adds another warning in postscript: 
"Do not risque the engine in the winds and waves 
of the season." He also outlined the changes and 
enlargements he planned to make in the boat 
during the winter. 

Through the cold weather she was laid up at the 
north end of the Hudson and underwent extensive 
repairs and alterations. An interesting letter 
written by Francis Sayre, of Catskill, describes 
the changes and gives so many interesting facts 
that it is here printed. He writes under date of 
September, 1857 : 

"I am as far as I know the only person now living 
who was on board the first steamboat on her trial 
trip from New York to Albany. I do not refer to 
the trial trip which was made in 1807, but to the 
first trip made by the old North River, the first 
passenger boat propelled by steam. 

M 



162 ROBERT FULTON 

"The craft employed by Mr. Fulton on the 
trial trip (called the Clermont, but probably never 
registered) was taken to what was then called Lower 
Red Hook and in the winter of 1807 and 1808 was 
hauled on ways to be enlarged and converted into a 
commodious steamboat. The alterations and en- 
largement were made by ship-builders of the city 
of Hudson during the winter and spring. She was 
launched about the first of May and called the 
North River. She was taken down to New York by 
Captain Samuel Jenkins, who had her in temporary 
charge, until Captain (afterward styled Commo- 
dore) Wiswall should be able to assume command. 
On arriving at New York she was taken to the 
dock at the foot of Dey Street (then far up town) 
where the machinery was put on board, and the 
cabin and carpenter's work were completed. This 
was done with a rapidity which in those days was 
considered extraordinary, Mr. Fulton himself 
overseeing and attending to every part. He was 
usually on board as early as five o'clock in the 
morning and would be there almost the entire day. 
I never knew a more industrious, indefatigable, 
laborious man. Fulton's new steamboat was the 
wonder of the day. She was visited daily by hun- 
dreds of the curious who asked many queer ques- 
tions in relation to the operation of the steam and 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 163 

machinery; one of these almost invariably was, 
' Where and how was the steam to be conveyed to 
the waterwheel?' The crowd of visitors became 
in time a great annoyance and hindrance to the 
workers on board and I recollect a very amusing 
incident connected with the attempt to prevent 
intrusion. Mr. Fulton directed a painter to 
letter a board with the words : 

One Dollar for any Person to Come on Board 
Without Liberty 

which was put up in a conspicuous place. 

"One day a sailor came along and read the 
notice. Jack was not long in putting his construc- 
tion upon it, and with a knowing wink of the eye, 
jumped on board without ceremony, pointed to the 
sign, and accosted the man nearest him with, 
1 Mister, who pays me that dollar ? ' 

"Mr. Fulton was standing near and laughed 
heartily, a thing unusual for him, for while among 
the workmen he was generally rather taciturn 
and grave, giving his orders and directions in a 
laconic manner. He would listen, however, to 
suggestions made by the more practical, and would 
often modify his orders to accord with such sug- 
gestions. During the time these preparations were 
going forward, trials were made of the working of 



164 ROBERT FULTON 

the machinery by hauling out into the stream, 
putting on steam, and starting the engine. This 
was no small affair, for when the engineer gave 
the notice, 'AH ready/ all hands were called, — 
carpenters, joiners, painters, calkers, laborers and 
crew, — to prevent what is termed 'catching 
on the center.' During one of these trials, when 
going up the river at the rate of six or eight miles 
an hour, Mr. Fulton stood looking over the bow 
of the boat for fifteen or twenty minutes, intently 
watching the motion and speed of the boat, appar- 
ently wholly absorbed. Suddenly he wheeled and 
addressed a friend who stood near him with great 
enthusiasm, exclaiming, 'My good friend, she is a 
fine boat and our success is certain/ 

" Commodore Wiswall was now in command. 
At the hour appointed, 9 a.m., for her departure 
for Albany, Chancellor Livingston with a number of 
invited friends came on board and, after a good 
deal of bustle and no little noise and confusion, the 
boat was got into the stream and headed up the 
river. Steam was put on and sails were set, for 
she was provided with large square sails attached 
to masts that were so constructed that they could 
be raised or lowered as the direction and strength 
of wind might require. There was at the time a 
light breeze from the south, and with steam and 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 165 

sails a very satisfactory rate of speed was attained. 
Fast-sailing sloops were passed with ease, the 
machinery worked finely and everything seemed 
to promise well. After a time, however, it was 
discovered that steam was escaping from the boiler. 
This boiler was constructed of wood, a cylinder 
perhaps twenty feet long and ten in diameter, 
bound with heavy iron bands, with iron tubes 
extending from the lower part of the furnace. The 
heat imparted to the iron bands by the steam pro- 
duced a shrinking of the wood directly under them, 
while the spaces between them would swell with 
moisture imparted by the steam so that the edges 
of the planks would be uneven, leaving open 
spaces through which the steam escaped. How 
could the difficulty be obviated? Resort was had 
to covering the boiler with blankets and carpets 
which, to some extent, prevented this evil and, as 
the favorable wind continued, we kept on the even 
tenor of our way and just before sunrise next 
morning we were at Clermont, the residence of the 
Chancellor, who with his friends landed, and the 
boat proceeded to Albany, where we arrived at 
2 or 3 p.m." 

When the boat reached New York, on the return 
trip, Fulton immediately had a copper boiler made 
to replace that of wood which had caused the 



166 ROBERT FULTON 

trouble. He was very energetic and ready to take 
any trouble or incur any expense necessary to 
perfect the boat. 

As soon as the North River of Clermont, as she 
was enrolled May 14th, 1808, was completed to 
Fulton's satisfaction, he began to build a com- 
panion boat, thereby establishing a service from 
each port twice a week. This boat, the Car of 
Neptune, was followed by a third, the Paragon. 
The last was, of course, the best, for Fulton im- 
proved each model by noting the imperfections 
of its predecessor. He humorously wrote, in a 
private letter, of 181 2, "My Paragon beats every- 
thing on this globe, for made as you and I are, we 
cannot tell what is in the moon — this Day she 
came on From Albany 150 miles in 26 hours wind 
ahead." 1 

But during these years, busy as they were, Ful- 
ton had not forgotten his dream of universal peace 
through the work of his other invention, — the 

1 Extract from letter from Robert Fulton to Benjamin West, 
March 23, 1809 : 

"My Steamboats are doing wonders, the one of last year 
cleared 16,000 dollars. I am now building two more; when 
finished there will be two running between New York and Albany 
and one between New York and New Brunswick in Jersey on the 
route to Philadelphia. There is a fair calculation that these 
Boats will clear 25,000 dollars a year, of which I have half so 
that I am doing very well." 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 167 

submarine torpedo-boat. You will remember that 
when Fulton reached America he laid his plans 
before Mr. Madison, Secretary of State, and Mr. 
Smith, Secretary of the Navy. These gentlemen 
were so impressed that they influenced the govern- 
ment to grant some money for an experiment in the 
harbor of New York. In the spring of 1807, to 
prepare the minds of the citizens for the new inven- 
tion, Fulton invited the mayor and other gentle- 
men to Governor's Island, where he showed them 
his machines and the copper cylinders for his 
torpedoes. 

In time the meeting developed a humorous aspect. 
The spectators became so interested that they 
crowded eagerly around him as he explained, 
" Gentlemen, I have here a charged torpedo with 
which, precisely in its present state, I mean to 
blow up a vessel. It contains one hundred and 
seventy-five pounds of gunpowder, and if I were to 
allow the clockwork to run for fifteen minutes, I 
have no doubt that it would blow this fortification 
to atoms." His listeners first looked at each other 
aghast, then the more prudent hastily stepped 
back, and one by one the others slipped away until 
Mr. Fulton found himself alone, with only two or 
three of the bravest of his auditors peering at him 
from under a distant gateway! None dared to 



168 ROBERT FULTON 

return until he placed the deadly torpedo back in 
its place in the magazine. 

On the 20th of July he blew up a large brig in 
the harbor of New York, and described this experi- 
ment with others in his book, " Torpedo War or 
Submarine Explosions." After three attempts the 
vessel was blown to atoms, only a column of water, 
smoke and fragments being left to show where she 
had been floating. The next day Fulton wrote a 
letter to the governor and magistrates of the city 
in which he said : 

" Gunpowder, within the last three hundred years, 
has totally changed the art of war; and all my 
reflections have led me to believe that this applica- 
tion of it will in a few years put a stop to maritime 
wars, give that liberty on the seas which has been 
long and anxiously desired by every good man, and 
secure to America that liberty of commerce, tran- 
quility, and independence which will enable her 
citizens to apply their mental and corporal faculties 
to useful and humane pursuits, to the improvement 
of our country, and the happiness of the whole 
people." 

So did Fulton dream of peace, — a dream still 
unfulfilled, yet worthy of our future hope. 

In 1810 Congress appointed a committee to 
decide upon the worth of Fulton's submarine war- 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 169 

fare, and Commodore John Rodgers was told to do 
all he could to get the sloop Argus ready to resist the 
attack Fulton was to make upon her. Commodore 
Rodgers entered the contest with the enthusiasm 
of a boy. He had a strong wire netting stretched 
around the bottom of the boat and anchored 
lashed spars to float at her sides ; while grappling 
irons, hung far out from the rigging, were ready to 
plunge at any boat approaching with hostile intent. 
Huge scythes were hinged to her decks, ready to 
cut off the heads of any sailors who ventured within 
reach. It takes an American to beat an American ! 
Fulton confessed that, for the time, he had been 
outwitted but promised the officers of the navy 
that he would yet find a way to conquer the dif- 
ficulties. 

His method is described in a letter to his old 
friend Joel Barlow ; it says in part : 

"I have had some trouble with the torpedo 
experiments in consequence of the determined 
opposition of the officers of the navy, for which I 
now thank them. They had placed splinter nets 
across the bow of the vessel with weights which 
held them to the ground ; booms were floated in the 
water and spaced out 20 feet from her sides to guard 
her sides. Grappling oars with sword blades and 
ballast in slings, to show how they could sink my 



170 ROBERT FULTON 

boats, made a formidable appearance against one 
poor torpedo boat and eight poor men. Moreover, 
all this would not have saved them had the nets 
not been to the ground; I was not prepared for 
nets thus arranged. Hence the committee gave 
me till the 29th of this month to show how I would 
get through the nets or carry them away. I am 
now prepared to prove that nets and booms are 
no better protection than cobwebs. Commodore 
Rodgers opposes me with much ardor and ingenu- 
ity; the reason he says I cannot do it is that I 
have not practical nautical knowledge ; this might 
be true but reflection for the last 113 days has given 
me knowledge to the same effect, so that with a 
log-ship of about two hundred tons burden ar- 
ranged with torpedoes and without cannon, I will 
destroy any ship that ever was built, that is, if she 
dare to lay at anchor, or if in fact she does not run 
away faster than I can run to overtake her; this 
fortunately can be done in port, along our coast, 
or in open sea : I have just finished a model of this 
log torpedo ship, also a bullet-proof torpedo boat 
that acts without oars, — thus you see I am on the 
highroad to success and in good spirits." 

But although Fulton's system was not then 
adopted, he had gained the recognition of the 
United States Navy, and had presented the germ 



STEAMBOATS AND SUBMARINES 171 

for expansion in other minds for submarine warfare, 
now practiced by navies throughout the world. 
Moreover, he had the honor of building, in 18 14, 
the first steam war-ship, the Demologus, meaning 
"The Voice of the People," later named Fulton. 
This alone gives the inventor high honor, for 
in time it changed all the navies of the world. 
Our country has recognized Fulton's patriotism 
by naming its first submarine tender to burn oil 
in her engines, the Fulton (1914), and has retained 
his name "torpedo" for all its submarine craft. 



CHAPTER XVI 

Ferry-boats and River-boats 

The few remaining years in Robert Fulton's life 
were very busy ones. In 1809 he formed a stock 
company to finance the building of steam ferries 
to run from New York to Jersey City, and so 
thoroughly was Fulton trusted that the entire 
construction of the new boats was left solely to 
him. Before this time there had been rowboat 
and sail-boat ferries, and a " horse-boat," propelled 
by paddles which were turned by the feet of four 
blind horses walking a tread-mill. 

We can imagine how welcome were Fulton's 
steam ferries. He called them "twin-boats" be- 
cause he built each boat with two complete hulls, 
connected by a bridge or deck, which provided a 
wide platform for carriages and passengers. The 
ends were rounded, just as they are in present-day 
ferries, so that the boats could cross and re-cross 
the river without turning ; and floating docks were 
built to receive them, also " fenders," to avoid any 
shock from collision when the boats came to shore. 

172 



FERRY-BOATS AND RIVER-BOATS 173 

It has been said that if steam navigation had been 
applied to no other purpose than to move these 
" floating bridges," over streams where no other 
bridge could be built, he who applied it would 
deserve to rank among the great benefactors of 
mankind. 

Fulton called his first ferry-boats York and 
Jersey , and the one he built in 181 2 for the East 
River was named Nassau. As traffic increased 
between the New York terminals a new street was 
opened between the ferries, in 1816-18, and was 
appropriately named Fulton Street. The ferry 
over the East River, where thousands of persons 
daily crossed to Brooklyn and other points on 
Long Island, also honored the inventor, and was 
called " Fulton Ferry." 

These busy years of Fulton's life were harassed 
by lawsuits over patent rights ; for as soon as steam 
navigation was proved a success, certain unscrupu- 
lous speculators rushed in to try to make money 
by the new invention. Fulton called them "mental 
pirates " because they tried to steal the riches of his 
mind, and in many cases they succeeded in making 
more money from the invention than Fulton him- 
self ever gained. 

You may remember that during his stay in 
France Fulton had been impressed by the splendid 



174 ROBERT FULTON 

possibilities of opening navigation on the great 
Mississippi River. This idea came to him when 
the United States purchased Louisiana. As soon 
as the Clermont was established as a passenger 
boat on the Hudson River, the partners, Living- 
ston and Fulton, decided to engage the services 
of a third person who was interested in steam 
navigation, namely, Nicholas J. Roosevelt, a 
personal friend of both men and an experimenter, as 
early as 1781, with an original, although since 
abandoned, plan for a steamboat. 

At this point comes in an interesting story. 
Fulton and Livingston thought it proper and neces- 
sary, before launching their new boat upon western 
waterways, to write for permission to the governor 
of the new state of Louisiana. The fact that they 
did so would never have been known had it not 
been for the discovery of two small boys who 
went to play, a few years ago, in an unused loft in 
Galena, Illinois. There they came across a box 
containing papers yellowed by age. Some were 
written in French, and these they did not under- 
stand, but a few were in English, and the boys, 
fresh from school, recognized the well-known names 
Livingston and Fulton, when they saw them signed 
at the end of a letter. So they tucked that piece 
of paper into a pocket, and some time afterward, 



FERRY-BOATS AND RIVER-BOATS 175 

when it came to light, they told a grown-up person 
about their find. He realized at once the value of 
the old papers and went in search of them, only 
to find that the loft had been cleaned since the 
boys' visit there and all the papers cast out and 
burned by some ignorant person who did not 
suspect their value. The documents and letters 
had belonged to a man who had been clerk under 
an early governor of the state. This letter shows 
how keenly Livingston and Fulton realized, in 
spite of doubters, the advantages which were sure 
to follow the establishment of steam navigation: 

Clermont, State oe New York, 
August 20th, 1810. 
To his Excellency, 

The Governor of Upper Mississippi ; 

Sir; 

Wishing to extend the benefit of steamboat navigation to 
the Mississippi River, a capital approaching to two hundred 
thousand dollars will be required, which capital must be 
raised by subscription ; but subscribers cannot be obtained 
until an effectual law presents a fair prospect of securing to 
them such exclusive right as will return emolument equal 
to the risk and trouble. In this point the patent law of the 
United States is at present imperfect, hence after the 
example of encouragement granted by the State of New 
York we have applied to the different governments bordering 
on the Mississippi for their protection and patronage and 
thus take the liberty to transmit to you our petition. To 



176 ROBERT FULTON 

improve the navigation of the Mississippi by transporting 
goods for three fourths of the sum which is now paid and in 
three fourths of the time ; to render such an establishment 
periodical, uniform and secure is a,n object of such immense 
importance to the states bordering on the Mississippi, a 
work of so much labor and hazard to the undertakers as 
we hope will excite the most lively feelings of patronage and 
protection both in your Excellency and the Honourable, 
the Legislature of Upper Louisiana. On the receipt of these 
paperswe shall esteem it a particular favor to be honored 
with an answer from your Excellency, expressing your 
opinion on this subject. 

We have the honor to be respectfully, 
Your Excellencies most obedient, 

Robt. R. Livingston. 
Robt. Fulton. 

The interest of this letter prompts a warning to 
all lovers of history to keep any fragment of pos- 
sible value ; even if old papers have no charm for 
you, there is probably somebody searching some- 
where for just the bit of information there recorded. 
Don't burn old papers merely because they are 
old. Read them and pass on their message. 

But let us return to the story of Mr. Roosevelt. 
In 1809 he had married Miss Lydia Latrobe, of 
Baltimore, whom we must confess a brave bride. 
As soon as Fulton and Livingston had engaged Mr. 
Roosevelt's services, he went to Pittsburgh, 



FERRY-BOATS AND RIVER-BOATS 177 

ordered a flat-boat to be built, and undertook the 
voyage to New Orleans to study the tides and 
river depths, and report their condition to Fulton 
so that he could decide whether a steamboat could 
make the journey down the long river against the 
strong currents. 

Mr. Roosevelt did not travel alone, he took his 
young bride on the strange honey-moon trip. 
Flat-boats or rafts were quite common on the 
Mississippi. Mrs. Roosevelt has thus described 
theirs : 

" There was a huge box containing a comfortable 
bedroom, dining-room, pantry, and a room in front 
for the crew, with a fireplace where the cooking 
was done. The top of the boat was flat, with 
seats and an awning. We had on board a pilot, 
three ' hands' and a man cook. We always 
stopped at night, lashing the boat to the shore. 
The rowboat was a large one, in which Mr. Roose- 
velt went out constantly with two or three men to 
ascertain the rapidity of the ripples or current." 

It was a six months' voyage. Mr. Roosevelt 
carried letters of introduction to prominent citizens 
of Cincinnati, Louisville, and other cities, and 
found that these gentlemen listened with respect- 
ful attention to his account of the success of the 
Clermont on the Hudson River, but none would 

N 



178 ROBERT FULTON 

encourage him to hope that a steamboat would 
prove a safe venture for the rapid current of the 
western river. However, Mr. Roosevelt took 
soundings of depths, made maps to show the posi- 
tion of sand-bars, and compiled a record of the 
swift flow of tides and of the general weather condi- 
tions. He was thought, as Fulton had been con- 
sidered in New York, a mad enthusiast, whose plan 
would prove a total loss to any persons unwise 
enough to spend money in building a boat for the 
Mississippi. 

They did not arrive at New Orleans until the 
first of December, from which port they took 
passage in a sailing vessel for New York. They 
had a hard voyage, for their captain fell sick and 
there was an outbreak of yellow fever on board. 
At Old Point Comfort they decided to leave the 
ship, and they made the remainder of the journey 
by stagecoach, arriving in New York about the 
middle of January. 

We may imagine how eagerly Fulton and Living- 
ston studied the charts and listened to Roosevelt's 
recital. The adverse criticisms of people living 
on the shores of the Mississippi were set aside by 
the facts noted by Mr. Roosevelt in his journal, 
or "log-book," of the strange voyage. Fulton's 
optimism was always ready to surmount any 



FERRY-BOATS AND RIVER-BOATS 179 

barrier. It was agreed that Mr. Roosevelt should 
immediately return to Pittsburgh to superintend 
the building of the first steamboat for western 
waters. Fulton drew the plan, which was very 
different from those he had made for the Hudson 
River boats, because the conditions were so unlike 
those in the east. And he decided to make the 
steam engine much more powerful to cope with the 
heavy currents. 

Under a bluff called Boyd's Hill, close to an iron 
foundry, the new boat, named the New Orleans, in 
honor of the city of her destination, was built. 
Timber was scarce and the ribs and beams for the 
hull had to be floated down stream from the upper 
forests. The local workmen could not understand 
the plan, and skilled ship-builders and machinists 
from Fulton's New York yards had to be sent to 
finish the work. This boat, like that on the Seine, 
suffered mishap, for one night a heavy freshet 
caused the water to rise, set afloat all the valuable 
timber and backed the whole ship-yard up stream. 
Not once, but several times, the high water 
threatened to launch the boat before she was 
ready. But perseverance conquers all, and finally 
the finished boat was successfully afloat upon the 
waters of the Ohio River. 

History repeats itself, as the old adage says. 



180 ROBERT FULTON 

Again the scoffers gathered by the dock and river 
bank, laughed at the queer construction and pre- 
dicted that the boat would never reach New Orleans. 

When it became known that Mrs. Roosevelt 
intended to accompany her husband she was warned 
of her folly; indeed, Mr. Roosevelt was openly 
reproved for allowing his wife thus to imperil her 
life. The boat was supposed to carry passengers, 
but none appeared. Nevertheless, plans were 
carried out and during the autumn of 1811, on a 
bright October day, the New Orleans triumphantly 
steamed forth from Pittsburgh, in the presence of 
a great crowd of people. They cheered as the 
boat went down the river, but they openly proph- 
esied that she could never come up! 

From city to city the steamboat made its brave 
way. When, during the fourth night out, Louis- 
ville was reached in bright moonlight, the steam 
whistle aroused the sleeping town and the people 
hurried to the river, thinking that the comet of that 
year had fallen into the stream ! When morning 
dawned and they could see that Mr. Roosevelt's 
promised steamboat had arrived, the citizens com- 
plimented his perseverance and gave a banquet in 
his honor. But they all agreed that the queer vessel 
never could go up the river against the current, 
no matter how successfully she could steam down. 



FERRY-BOATS AND RIVER-BOATS 181 

So Mr. Roosevelt played a good joke on them. 
He invited a number of friends to a dinner in the 
cabin of the boat. While the feast was at its height, 
a strange rumbling brought the frightened guests 
to their feet ; they rushed up on deck to discover 
that the boat had cast off from the dock, had turned 
in the river, and was actually steaming up stream, 
in spite of all their warnings that it never could! 

After they had passed Louisville, while they 
waited for the water to rise high enough to pass 
through the rapids, Roosevelt took the time to 
turn the boat back as far as Cincinnati, to show 
doubters in that city that the feat was quite 
possible. The voyage through the rapids was excit- 
ing but the boat darted like an arrow through them 
and again accomplished the so-called " impossible." 

The year 1811 was one of strange happenings. 
A comet blazed in the skies, a flood covered the 
lands in the valley, causing an epidemic of sickness, 
and earthquakes shook the whole region from the 
Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico. Small wonder 
that the Indians who lived in the forests along the 
Ohio and Mississippi paddled away in fright from 
the steamboat as it approached. They thought 
it was an evil thing. 

The voyage came to an end, and a happy incident 
marked its close, for just before the steamboat 



182 ROBERT FULTON 

reached the city of New Orleans, a tiny passenger 
arrived on board to give it final blessing, for a little 
child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Roosevelt. 

The boat was kept at New Orleans to use as a 
packet between that city and Natchez, but as 
pioneer it had proved the possibility for other 
steamboats to navigate the big river successfully, 
and they rapidly multiplied. Within twenty years 
after the voyage of the New Orleans hundreds of 
steam-propellers were paddling their easy way up 
and down the river. Steam navigation was a 
proved fact upon the Mississippi. 

In this connection it is interesting to read the 
following extract from a letter Fulton wrote to his 
friend Thomas Jefferson, on April 7th, 1813, It 
outlines a stijl more extended system of steam 
navigation : 

"I am not idle as to torpedoes but secrecy is necessary. 
When peace returns, or in four or five years from this date, 
I shall have a line of steamboats from Quebec to Mexico 
and to St. Mary's ; the route is up the St. Lawrence, over 
Lake Champlain, down the Hudson to Brunswick, cross the 
Delaware to Philadelphia ; by land carriage to Pittsburgh; 
down the Ohio and Mississippi to Red River, up it to above 
Natchitoches: the total land carriage about five hundred 
miles, the other route to St. Mary's land carriage not more 
than two hundred miles. The most of these boats are now 
constructing." 



CHAPTER XVII 
Fulton's Home and Fulton's Honors 

We have followed Fulton through widely dif- 
ferent works, — art, canal navigation, the inven- 
tion of the submarine torpedo and the steamboat. 
In 1 8 14 he had reached almost the end of his busy 
and useful life. 

Robert Fulton lived to be only fifty years old, — 
not the allotted " three score and ten" named by 
the Psalmist; yet during his half -century he ac- 
complished infinitely more than many another 
does in a life full of years. To labor incessantly 
was his habit and pleasure. As he had written to 
Joel Barlow, "I cannot exist without a project, or 
projects, and I have two or three of the first order 
of sublimity." Herein lay the secret, if such an 
openly admitted fact can be so termed, of his 
valuable life. He looked upon work as sublime; 
he exalted it to dignity ; and its product to him was 
world-wide fame because of his world-wide service 
to humanity. 

After his marriage, on January 7th, 1808, to 

183 



184 ROBERT FULTON 

Miss Harriet Livingston, to whom you will remem- 
ber his engagement was announced on the Clermont, 
they made their home in New York City, first at 
ioo Reade Street, then at 133 Chambers Street, 
where they moved in 181 1, and the succeeding 
year, at Marketfield Place, opposite the Battery. 
The street now known as Battery Place was then 
called Marketfield Street ; the Hudson River then 
flowed in as far as Washington Street and Battery 
Park extended only as far as Greenwich Street. 
Castle Garden occupied a tiny island connected 
with the mainland by a foot-bridge. 

The foregoing addresses are given from the New 
York directories of those years, and some confusion 
regarding Fulton's last residence has arisen from 
the fact that Cadwallader Colden, who knew him 
well, says that he lived at number 1 State Street. 
In either case, his home commanded a superb out- 
look upon the harbor and river, and became a 
gathering place for his many distinguished friends. 
The outlook upon the dancing, sunny waters of the 
harbor must have been an inspiration and joy to 
the inventor of boats, — of this we may be sure. 
Works of art, in accord with Fulton's taste, 
abounded; and in the dining-room, the scene of 
much pleasant hospitality, was spread the dinner 
service of fine china, embossed with the coat of 




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FULTON'S HOME AND FULTON'S HONORS 185 

arms of the United States, presented to Fulton by 
Thomas Jefferson. 

Mrs. Fulton was an accomplished harpist and 
when quiet evening hours closed the busy days, we 
may fancy her graceful form, with high-carved 
tortoise-shell comb surmounting her slender head, 
as she sat in the mellow light of the drawing-room, 
playing sweet melodies to the master of the house 
and their four little children, — Robert Barlow 
Fulton (named for Joel Barlow whose affection for 
Fulton never lessened) and the three daughters, 
Julia, Mary, and Cornelia Livingston Fulton, — 
bright, happy, companionable children who de- 
lighted the hearts of their parents. 

Several excellent portraits exist of Robert Fulton, 
for he made a striking model for the many artists 
who were his friends ; but in addition to that 
depicted, let us briefly consider his character, 
learned from those who knew and loved him in life ; 
and from them we may gain the true likeness of 
the soul and mind of the man. 

First we may think of Fulton as a good son, ever 
loyal and kind to his mother, providing a home for 
her old age and sending her gifts of money from 
time to time through many years, to provide her 
with comforts. His generosity included all who 
were of kin, for the letters quoted prove him mind- 



1 86 ROBERT FULTON 

ful of the welfare of his brother and sisters, though 
circumstances had carried him far from their sight. 

He was a good friend as well, choosing his com- 
panions for their real worth, and his affection for 
them was faithful throughout his life. 

He hated sham and falsehood and was brave 
enough to expose any make-believe in science. 
An example of this is shown in the following story. 
A man named Redheffer had earned much money 
in Philadelphia by exhibiting a machine which he 
claimed was run by perpetual motion. In 1813 
one of these contrivances was brought to New York 
and advertised as a modern wonder. Crowds of 
people flocked to see it and paid a dollar entrance- 
fee. 

The problem of perpetual motion had vexed 
the minds of scientists for many years. Fulton 
was unwilling to believe that its solution had been 
discovered, but his friends persuaded him to visit 
the house in the outskirts of the city where the 
machine was set up. He had not been long in the 
room when he exclaimed, "This machine has a 
crank motion. " 

The alarmed showman hastened forward with 
explanations, but Fulton, convinced he was right, 
openly denounced the affair as a fraud. His 
trained ear, as it listened to the wheels of the 



FULTON'S HOME AND FULTON'S HONORS 187 

mechanism, detected an uneven motion and he pro- 
claimed to the audience that the thing was a cheat 
and he could prove it. He knocked away some 
woodwork concealing a string of catgut, which led 
along an upper wall to a distant attic where a poor 
old man, unkempt and half-starving, sat upon a stool 
and patiently turned, with weary hand, a crank. 

The angry audience destroyed the machine, and 
the dishonest proprietor disappeared quickly. This 
ended Redheffer's false theory. 

Mrs. Barlow, than whom none could know Fulton 
better, wrote to Mr. Colden, in reply to his ques- 
tion about Fulton's early life : 

" Agreeable to your request I shall endeavor to 
give you the best information in my power respect- 
ing the early life of our excellent friend, Mr. Fulton. 
What is previous to 1797, when we became ac- 
quainted with him, was related by himself. He 
chose to have it known that he was self-educated 
and author of his own fortune, if I may so express 
it. During the summer of 1797, Mr. Fulton came 
to Paris to introduce his system (of canals) and get 
it patented. He came to lodge at a hotel where 
Mr. Barlow and myself were boarders. There 
commenced that strong affection and devoted 
friendship which subsisted between them in the 
most extraordinary degree as long as they lived. 



1 88 ROBERT FULTON 

We went into our own house soon after, when my 
husband invited Mr. Fulton to reside with us as 
long as we should remain in Paris. He resided in 
our family as a brother for seven years. During 
this period he learned the French language and 
something of the Italian and German ; studied the 
higher mathematics, the sciences, physics, chemis- 
try and perspective, and in short completed his 
education as far as it related to his useful elegant 
pursuits." 

Mrs. Barlow quaintly says that Fulton's "genteel 
manners, companionable and amiable qualities, 
acquired him many valuable friends among the 
nobility and gentry." We may readily infer that 
not only did he choose his friends, but they chose 
him, because they found pleasure and profit in his 
company. 

Mr. Colden describes him in these words: 
"Mr. Fulton was about six feet high; his person 
was slender but well proportioned and well formed. 
Nature had made him a gentleman and bestowed 
upon him ease and gracefulness. He had too much 
good sense for the least affectation ; and a modest 
confidence in his own worth and talents gave him 
an unembarrassed deportment in all companies. 
His features were strong and of a manly beauty. 
He had large dark eyes and a projecting brow, 



FULTON'S HOME AND FULTON'S HONORS 189 

expressive of intelligence and thought. His temper 
was mild, and his disposition lively. He was fond 
of society, which he always enlivened by cheerful, 
cordial manners and instructed or pleased by his 
sensible conversation. He expressed himself with 
energy, fluency, and correctness, and as he owed 
more to his own experience and reflections than to 
books, his sentiments were often interesting from 
their originality. 

"In his home he was kind, generous, and affec- 
tionate, and he gave freely of his money to charity, 
to entertaining friends at home, and to further his 
scientific plans. But conspicuous among his vir- 
tues were his calm constancy, his industry, and the 
untiring perseverance which helped him to over- 
come all difficulties." 

Another friend wrote: "Among a thousand 
individuals you might readily point out Robert 
Fulton. He was conspicuous for his gentlemanly 
bearing and freedom from embarrassment, for his 
extreme activity, his height, — somewhat over 
six feet, — his slender yet energetic form and well 
accommodated dress, for his full and curly dark 
brown hair, carelessly scattered over his forehead 
and falling around his neck. His complexion was 
fair, his forehead high, his eyes dark and penetrat- 
ing, and revolving in capacious orbs of cavernous 



iqo ROBERT FULTON 

depths ; his brow was thick and evinced strength 
and determination ; his nose was long and promi- 
nent, his mouth and lips were beautifully propor- 
tioned, giving the impress of eloquent utterance. 
Trifles were hot calculated to impede him or damp 
his perseverance." 

A story is told by a writer in the National Por- 
trait Gallery about the establishment of the first 
ferry-boat across the East River to Brooklyn, and 
of a painful accident which happened during the 
second or third trip. Some trouble occurred with 
the machinery, and in an attempt to start the boat 
the chief engineer was caught in the wheels and so 
injured that he died from his wounds the following 
day. He was carried to the house next to the 
home of the writer, who recalled the conversation 
between Mr. Fulton and the attending surgeon. 
Fulton exclaimed, "Sir, I will give all I am 
worth to save the life of that man." When the 
doctor said his recovery was hopeless, Fulton 
turned aside, completely unmanned, and wept 
like a child. The neighbor truly observed that 
while no personal misfortune ever seemed to disturb 
Fulton's calm manner, yet his feeling toward other 
people was sensitive and tender. 

Paul Sabbaton, who was chief engineer in Ful- 
ton's employ, wrote in later years, "I was so con- 



FULTON'S HOME AND FULTON'S HONORS 191 

stantly with Mr. Fulton, saw him at his occupation, 
at his family fireside, and in almost every situation, 
that I have to this day a most distinct and strongly 
impressed likeness on my mind. He had all the 
traits of a man with the gentleness of a child. I 
never heard him use ill words to any one of those 
employed under him no matter how strong the 
provocation might be, and I do know there was 
enough of that at times ; and ever and anon, my 
mind recurs to the" time when his labors were 
severe. His habit was, cane in hand, to walk up 
and down for hours. I see him now, in my mind's 
eye, with his white, loosely-tied cravat, his waist- 
coat unbuttoned, his ruffles waving from side to 
side, as his movements caused their movements; 
he, all the while in deep thought, scarcely noticing 
anything passing." 

This agrees with the statement of another em- 
ployee : "His workmen were always pleased to see 
him about the shops. With his rattan cane in 
hand, he always appeared to me the counterpart of 
an English nobleman." 

By gathering these mind-pictures together we 
can form a composite likeness of a man who was 
great in small as well as in large affairs. 

Let me add a story of my own recollection. 
About the year 1890 there came to Poughkeepsie, 



192 ROBERT FULTON 

New York, a blind Scotch woman ninety years of 
age. The infirm old lady was very fond of music 
and kindly members from the choir of the Church 
of the Holy Comforter would go to sing to her, for 
she was too feeble to attend church. When she 
heard the name of the rector of the church, Fulton's 
grandson, the Rev. Robert Fulton Crary, D.D., 
her face lighted with pleasure and she exclaimed, 
"His name, Fulton, is very dear to me." When 
asked the reason, she explained that during her 
childhood, her father, a boat-builder, employed 
at the New York ship-yards, purchased a small 
plot of ground adjoining a larger section owned by 
Robert Fulton. When the Scotchman came to 
build his home he found that his largest and best 
room could only gain sunshine by opening a window 
directly upon the line of Mr. Fulton's property. 
With fear and trembling he plucked up courage to 
ask this permission, which was so pleasantly 
granted that the bright, cheerful living-room was 
always called, in memory of that kindness, "Mr. 
Fulton's room." The wrinkled face of the old 
Scotch woman was aglow with the pleasure of the 
recollection, and the sunshine of that room still 
lingered even through her blinded eyes and the 
long life of many years. How few of us realize the 
far-reaching effect of a simple act of kindness. 



FULTON'S HOME AND FULTON'S HONORS 193 

Never very robust since that early outbreak of 
lung trouble, Fulton had worked to the full extent of 
his strength. When the accident occurred to his 
trial boat on the Seine, he imprudently dashed into 
the water to save the valuable machinery; and 
the labor of twenty-four hours, with neither rest 
nor refreshment, caused a constitutional weakness 
from which he never wholly recovered. 

So keen was his interest in his work that when a 
new idea for some invention came to him he would 
pass the whole night in thought, following the 
resultant chain of ideas. In February of 181 5 
he went to Trenton, New Jersey, to testify in a 
lawsuit to protect the Livingston-Fulton rights in 
steam ferries, and while returning with his friend 
Mr. Emmet, a prominent lawyer, and Mr. John 
R. Livingston, he was obliged to wait a long time 
for the ferry-boat. Always eager to make use of 
spare moments, he decided to visit his ship-building 
yards to inspect the work upon his Demologus, the 
first war-vessel, and also to examine other boats 
he had sent there for repairs. He spent three 
hours at the works, and then with Mr. Emmet 
tried to walk across the ice formed at the riverside. 
Heavy rain had fallen, and this so weakened the 
ice that his companion fell through into the water. 
Greatly agitated, Mr. Fulton helped his friend up 



194 ROBERT FULTON 

and out, but both men were wet through by the 
quantity of water floating upon the ice. It was a 
very imprudent exposure and the natural penalty 
followed. Fulton took such a severe cold that he 
was confined to his room for several days. His 
great interest in the Demologus tempted him to 
venture upon an early carriage drive to the works ; 
he took more cold, inflammation of the lungs 
followed, and on the morning of February 23d, 
181 5, he passed from this world to the life 
eternal. 

Unusual tokens of public esteem followed the 
announcement. The legislature in session at 
Albany resolved that both Houses wear mourning, 
a testimonial never before accorded a private 
citizen. The newspapers of the day bore black 
columns ; the Corporation of the City of New York, 
and literary and scientific associations, assembled 
to pass resolutions of sympathy. All members, 
wearing badges of mourning, attended his funeral 
at Trinity Church on the 25 th of February. 
Minute guns were fired from his steam frigate and 
the West Battery, while the long procession, in 
which were officers of the National and State 
Governments, the Mayor and Common Council, 
and hosts of prominent citizens, wended its way 
from his late residence to the historic church, under 



FULTON'S HOME AND FULTON'S HONORS 195 

the shadow of which, in the vault of the Livingston 
family, his body was laid to rest. 

The lad from Lancaster had earned high honor. 
He sleeps near the river he loved so well. 

Time-honored son, whose memory we revere, 

Around the wondering earth thy lustrous name 

Shone in old days, a sudden star of Fame, 

Nor is that glamour dimmed. No leaves are sere 

Among thy laurels. Greater seems each year 
Thy priceless benefaction. Let them crown 
Thy rare achievement with deserved renown 
Who reap the guerdon of thy rich career ! 

Long hast thou passed the dark Lethean stream, 

Yet who but envies that illustrious sleep ? 

Though thou art dust, yet vital is thy dream ; 
The waves of all the world still chant of thee : , 

Thy soul pervades the Ship and wings the Deep, — 

Thy Spirit is immortal on the sea. 

Lloyd Mifflin. 



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